Starting 1 November, people living within 20 km of a national highway toll plaza can buy an annual local pass for Rs 1,500 or Rs 3,000.

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways brought this in through the Fifth Amendment to the national highway fee rules, 2026. The change applies across the country.

A single annual fee now replaces per-trip charges for local motorists who cross the same plaza every day.

Plazas outside municipal or town limits charge Rs 1,500 per year for the pass, while those inside city boundaries charge Rs 3,000.

Right now, driver pass costs stand at Rs 360 monthly, totaling Rs 4,320 over a full year. Buying a Rs 1,500 pass drops that cost significantly, saving local drivers up to Rs 2,820 annually.

Owners of private, non-commercial vehicles who live within 20 km of the plaza.

The vehicle also needs a valid, working FASTag in the non-commercial category. Living close by is not the only test, since other conditions apply.

The pass works only at the plaza it was issued for. Not elsewhere. Some roads are left out.

The pass will not be offered on highways or expressways that collect tolls through a closed system, and it will also not be given where a service road or another route is open to local drivers.

The fee is not fixed for good. The government can revise it every year, with 1 April as the date for any change.

Meanwhile, official data shows FASTag annual pass adoption topping 10 million units since introducing the program on 15 August last year.

Costing Rs 3,075, this pass permits 200 plaza entries across 12 months at roughly 1,150 national expressways and highways.

Residents should check the fee and rules for their own plaza before applying.

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