CHENNAI: The decision of the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) to introduce an annual toll pass (ATP) priced at Rs 3,000 — allowing up to 200 single trips for private vehicles such as cars, vans, and jeeps through national and express highway toll plazas — is expected to bring huge relief to commuters.
With several major projects, including the Chennai-Bengaluru-Mysuru expressway, expected to be operational by February-March 2026, private vehicle owners are likely to see a substantial reduction in toll expenses. The average toll fee per trip is Rs 15 when motorists use ATP.
Currently, motorists travelling 343km from Chennai to Bengaluru on the NH pay Rs 430 across six toll plazas, from Sriperumbudur to Attibele. Using the ATP, the average toll cost will drop to around Rs 90.
Similarly, for the 332-km stretch between Chennai and Tiruchy, toll charges for non-transport vehicles will reduce from Rs 495 to Rs 105. The ATP will be available exclusively through the RajmargYatra mobile app or the NHAI portal and will come into effect from August 15.
The move is also expected to ease congestion on the Madurai-Tiruchy NH via Chittampatti, as a section of motorists may opt for the Madurai-Thuvarankurichi route instead. This alternative stretch currently sees limited traffic due to the high toll fee of Rs 190 per car at the Parali Pudur toll plaza — the highest in the state. The highway connects Madurai with Dindigul and Tiruchy.
According to NHAI sources, non-transport vehicle owners can purchase the ATP multiple times a year without any cap. For example, if a vehicle owner uses up all 200 trips within three months, they can renew the ATP by paying another Rs 3,000 through the RajmargYatra mobile app.
Currently, residents within a 20-km radius of toll plazas can avail themselves of monthly passes priced at Rs 150 to Rs 250. These users may hold a FASTag, an ATP and a monthly pass simultaneously.
An NHAI official explained: “If a resident of Porur crosses the Vanagaram toll plaza, that trip will be deducted from the monthly pass. Subsequent entries into other toll plazas will be counted against the ATP using the FASTag.”
Officials further clarified that only vehicles with an active FASTag are eligible to purchase the ATP. “Since FASTags are linked to the vehicle’s registration number, an ATP bought for a private vehicle cannot be used for a commercial one. The RFID system at toll plazas reads both the FASTag and the vehicle number. If there is a mismatch, the system will automatically deactivate the ATP,” the official explained.
The decision comes in the wake of the union government facing severe criticism from commuters over various toll-related issues in the past 15 years. These include the existence of toll plazas within 60km of each other, continued toll collection even after recovering the full project cost or expiry of concession periods, presence of plazas within municipal or corporation limits, and earlier malpractices in toll fund transfers before the FASTag system. Additionally, in November last year, the MoRTH also removed a provision in the National Highway Fee Determination Rules which mandated a 60% reduction in toll charges upon full cost recovery.
According to official data, Tamil Nadu has 74 toll plazas on national highways, with an average daily collection of Rs 13 to Rs 14 crore. During the financial year 2023-24, the total toll revenue collected from the state amounted to Rs 4,157.96 crore.