The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) has appealed to FASTag users to buy the monthly toll pass online. Mumbai has five toll plazas -Airoli, Vashi, Mulund, Dahisar and LBS Mulund.
The monthly toll pass buying process has been completely shifted online keeping in mind the prevailing COVID-19 pandemic and to prevent long queues at the toll plazas. "Commuters sitting in the comfort of their home can purchase the single /multi toll pass (as per the requirement) and can also activate it online itself. The prevailing system of activating the pass within three days by going at the toll booth has been cancelled. Also, the condition of affixing the colour-coded sticker of the toll contractor on the windscreen of the vehicle has been relaxed," said Vijay Waghmare, joint managing director, MSRDC.
According to an MSRDC official, despite the online provision to buy the monthly toll pass, commuters prefer to buy them at the toll booths. In June, around 8,214 single and 12,490 multi monthly toll passes were sold out, both online and offline. Officials believe, if commuters buy these passes online, the ratio will be higher. The monthly toll pass can be purchased online in two ways -first by visiting the www.nhai.org website or by logging in to the ICICIbankfastag site. ICICI has tied up with M/s MEP Infrastructure Private Limited, which is the toll operating agency.
Meanwhile, the authority also clarified that no new FASTag needs to be bought. Existing FASTag users of any bank can buy the monthly pass.
In pre-COVID-19 times, there were about 25,000 monthly toll pass holders from the five city toll plazas. MSRDC, from April 27, had started the monthly toll pass provision for only FASTag users. The intention was to encourage the use of FASTag and prevent long queues at toll plazas, resulting in traffic. The Free Press Journal had reported about the elimination of the mandatory visit to a toll plaza to activate the toll pass.
Commuters using the city’s toll plazas frequently can buy the pass for a concession in toll rates. A single toll road user (car) having FASTag can spend Rs 1,240 and for multiple toll roads Rs 1,500 on a monthly toll pass.
