Cashless toll collection from April 10: Only FASTag, UPI across India

CHENNAI: Cash payments at toll plazas will be discontinued for travellers on national highways from April 10, the road transport and highways ministry has said.

No more cash at toll plazas

In a gazette notification, the ministry has said that in cases where a vehicle enters a fee plaza without a valid FASTag, users can still pay via Unified Payment Interface (UPI), but at a higher charge of 1.25 times the applicable toll fee.

A senior NHAI official said that the move is aimed at reducing long queues at toll gates and make highway travel smoother for commuters.

The official said that cash payments will no longer be accepted at the toll booths from April 10 and FASTag will remain the primary mode of toll collection, while UPI will serve as the fallback payment option for vehicles that arrive without a valid FASTag.

Penalty for non-digital payments

"If the user of a vehicle enters a fee plaza without a FASTag or a valid functional FASTag, as the case may be, and opts to pay fee through the Unified Payment Interface (UPI), he shall pay 1.25 times of the user fee applicable to that category of vehicle in accordance with the provisions of sub-rule (2) of rule 4."

"Provided that if the owner or driver of the vehicle does not opt to pay a fee in the manner specified under this rule, such vehicle shall be dealt in accordance with rule 14," the notification said.

Toll exemptions and stricter rules

Recently, NHAI also crossed 50 lakh subscribers for its FASTag annual pass, which allows users to make up to 200 toll crossings for Rs 3,000 per year. Since its launch on August 15, a total of 26.55 crore transactions have been carried out through these passes.

There are over 1,150 fee plazas on various National Highways and Expressways in the country.

FASTag annual pass and how to apply

Frequent travellers are encouraged to opt for the FASTag Annual Pass, which allows smoother and faster transit. Users can apply or renew via Rajmarg Yatra app or official NHAI and MoRTH websites. After payment through UPI, cards, or net banking, the pass gets activated within 24 hours and remains valid for one year or up to 200 toll crossings.

India has nearly 1,200 toll plazas, with around 1.16 crore FASTag transactions recorded daily. Toll collections are estimated to reach ₹82,900 crore in 2025-26, highlighting the scale of the country’s highway network and the shift towards digital payments.