FASTags have made life easier on highways for sure and the government has proposed a new plan for frequent travellers — annual and lifetime plans. These require a one-time payment for users depending on the plan, with unlimited travel across India. Here are more details.
FASTag annual and lifetime plans
The annual plan, as the name suggests, requires users to pay Rs 3,000 annually, giving them the freedom to travel on any highway for a year. These have to be paid annually. The lifetime plan costs Ts 30,000 as a single payment, valid for 15 years. They allow unlimited travel in National Highways and Expressways across India.
Last month, Nitin Gadkari announced that the government is planning on introducing monthly and yearly passes with the FASTag system for private vehicles, as they account for 26 percent of total toll revenue. As per data by MoRTH, FY23-24 saw a collection of Rs 8,000 crore with private vehicles alone. Private vehicles also account for 60 percent of traffic at toll plazas between 6 am and 10 pm.
FASTag annual and lifetime plans — How do they work?
The annual plan works in a simple way — the users will have to recharge their FASTags for Rs 3,000 and will be allowed to use any National highway or Expressway till the validity runs out. These passes will be integrated into the current FASTag system and when the validity runs out, users simply have to recharge normally. The lifetime plans also work in a similar way.
Currently, users can purchase monthly passes that cost Rs 340 per month, which equates to Rs 4,080 per year. This is valid for one toll plaza only. With the new annual plan, the cost is considerably less and it allows the freedom for users to use any toll plaza across India.