Starting today, April 27, only FASTag users can now buy a monthly pass.. The facility is available for five Mumbai based toll nakas-- Vashi, Airoli, LBS, Mulund, Dahisar. The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) has issued a notification on Monday about providing the monthly pass facility for users in a bid to reduce the traffic congestion on Mumbai's five toll nakas. To facilitate and ensure smooth movement of pass holders from dedicated FASTag lanes henceforth, who were so far allowed to take the hybrid lane resulting in waiting periods.
According to the MSRDC, in pre-Covid times, there were over 25,000 pass holders in Mumbai across five toll plazas. Now due to the surge in Covid-19 positive cases, the traffic is less on road however, when situation comes to normalcy the monthly pass facility will be of great benefit. Besides, it will also force non-FASTag users to buy one.
Vijay Waghmare, joint managing director, MSRDC and his team took efforts to begin the monthly pass provision for Mumbai’s toll road commuters. It was not available in the FASTag system previously. The monthly pass will give some concession in toll rates to commuters, who pass daily from the toll nakas. As per the pre-decided rates, a single tolled road user will have to spend Rs 1,240 and for multiple toll roads Rs 1,500 on a monthly pass. Same rates will be applicable for a FASTag user while buying this monthly pass.
Commuters can buy monthly passes using two ways -- by visiting www.nhai.org website or by logging in to the ICICIbankfastag site. The ICICI Bank has tied up with the M/s MEP Infrastructure Pvt. Ltd.
The MSRDC has made it clear that other bank FASTag users can also buy the monthly pass and need not be required to purchase a new FASTag.
"Once a commuter buys a monthly pass by using anyone of the two available options it needs to visit one of the toll nakas (for multiple toll pass holders) and complete the activation process by showing the receipt of the payment made in a three-day time period. If activation is not done, then the deducted amount for monthly pass will get refunded to the linked bank account considering the commuter is not interested," said Kamlakar Phand the Chief General Manager(tolls) , MSRDC.
He asserted that they are converting all five city toll plazas into complete FASTag enabled lanes. The Bandra Worli Sealink has been converted into FASTag lanes completely in January 2021 and soon work on Vashi and Airoli toll plaza will be complete and gradually on remaining city toll nakas the FASTag conversion work will be taken up.
