<p>The central government has introduced a monthly FASTag pass for Rs 3,000 for road travelers. Many are unaware that this pass is not valid on certain expressways and state highways.</p><img><p>On August 15th, the central government launched a new scheme for road travelers. A monthly FASTag pass is being offered for Rs 3,000. This allows for 200 trips in a year. Each time a vehicle passes an NHAI toll plaza, it’s counted as one ‘trip’.</p><img><p>This pass is only valid on roads maintained by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). For example, NH-19 (Delhi-Kolkata), NH-3 (Agra-Mumbai), NH-48 (North-South Corridor), NH-27 (Porbandar-Silchar), NH-16 (East Coast Road), NH-65 (Pune-Machilipatnam), NH-11 (Agra-Bikaner), and NH-44 (Srinagar-Kanyakumari).</p><img><p>Additionally, the pass can be used on the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway, Eastern Peripheral Road, Mumbai-Nasik, Mumbai-Surat, Chennai-Salem, Mumbai-Ratnagiri, Delhi-Meerut, and Ahmedabad-Vadodara Expressways.</p><img><p>However, this pass is not valid on expressways and state highways maintained by state governments. For instance, on the Yamuna Expressway, Purvanchal Expressway, and Bundelkhand Expressway, regular FASTag payments are required.</p><img><p>According to NHAI data, within just four days of the scheme’s launch, 5 lakh people purchased the annual FASTag pass. Most purchases were in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Haryana. High usage has been recorded at toll plazas in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh. This is a significant benefit for frequent long-distance travelers.</p>
