NEW DELHI: The Centre will roll out an ‘Annual Toll Pass’ (ATP) for private car owners that will let you drive through toll plazas without having to stop and pay – either by cash or through FASTag – on national highways and expressways that are managed by NHAI (National Highways Authority of India). The pass does not replace FASTag but is a parallel system in which you make a one-time payment and accounting is done on the basis of trips you make, not the balance on your card. Only private cars will be eligible for ATPs, not taxis or any other commercial vehicle.When can you get an ATP?NHAI will start issuing ATPs from Aug 15. An ATP can be bought for Rs 3,000 and will be for a year from the date of purchase. Within this period, an ATP holder will be eligible for 200 trips on the NHAI network. Once the trip limit is breached, you can renew an ATP for a year. Alternatively, you can pay through FASTag. Buying an ATP won’t be mandatory to drive on the NHAI network. Those who want to keep using FASTag can continue to do so. How does ATP define a trip?Crossing one toll plaza will count as one trip on an ATP. Say you’re driving from Delhi to Chandigarh or Delhi to Jaipur on NHs. Every time you cross a toll plaza, it counts as a trip. So, if you’ve crossed four toll plazas, your trip count on the ATP is four. This is how ATP will work on an open tolling system, which is any highway other than access-controlled ones.For highways that have a closed tolling system, which means you pay only at point of exit, the journey will count as one trip. For example, on roads such as Delhi-Mumbai Expressway, Bengaluru-Mysuru Expressway or Eastern Peripheral Expressway, if you’re travelling end to end, it’s counted as one trip. However, if you exit midway and re-enter the road at another point, the trip count will increase to two. Do you save if you have an ATP?If you are a frequent inter-state traveller, an ATP will be cheaper. For example, you now pay a total toll of around Rs 325 to travel one-way between Delhi and Chandigarh on NH-44, at four toll plazas. So, by the time you’ve made nine one-way trips, you’ve spent more than Rs 3,000, which is what you buy an ATP for. But with the ATP, you can make 50 one-way trips. This translates to paying only Rs 60 as toll for one-way (at Rs 15 per toll) compared to the current charge of Rs 325.Will ATP work on state highways and expressways?No. For example, you can use the ATP on Delhi-Meerut Expressway, which is under NHAI, but not Yamuna Expressway (managed by Uttar Pradesh govt) when driving in Delhi-NCR. Similarly, ATP will work on Delhi-Mumbai Expressway (NHAI) but not Mumbai-Pune expressway and Nagpur-Mumbai Samruddhi Mahamarg (state govt). Since no state toll plaza will read an ATP, you will continue to be charged through FASTag when you drive through these. How do you get an ATP?The Annual Toll Pass will be available for purchase through NHAI’s Rajmargyatra mobile app and on its website. It will not be available for sale or activation through any other portal, third-party website, offline store, or bank websites. After verification of application, NHAI will issue a pass in two hours. ATP will not be a separate card or tag but will be linked to your existing FASTag. NHAI has advised users to avoid purchasing pass from unauthorised sources to prevent fraud. Applications for ATP will open mid-July. NHAI helpline1033 will also provide information on ATP and guide callers.To activate an ATP, an applicant will need to provide consent to Rajmargyatra app to retrieve the mobile number registered with the FASTag from the respective bank for sending SMS alerts and other related communications.Can you use an ATP on 2 cars?No. Just like FASTag, ATP will be valid only for the car for which it is issued. ATP will be non-transferable. Use on another vehicle will result in deactivation. ATP will also not be issued for FASTags linked to chassis numbers.Can ATP be used for parking at malls and airports?The annual pass will not cover any such fee collection point. Parking fees will be deducted via FASTag as usual.
