Only FASTag users can now buy a monthly pass starting from April 27. 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 who wish to buy in a bid to reduce the traffic congestion on Mumbai's five toll nakas. Also 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 period.
According to the MSRDC, in pre-Covid time 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 the situation comes to normalcy the monthly pass facility will be of great benefit. Besides, it will also enforce nonFASTag users to buy one.
Vijay Waghmare, joint managing director, MSRDC, and his team took efforts to begin the monthly pass provision for Mumbai toll road commuters which was not available in FASTag system previously. The monthly pass will give some concession in toll rates to commuters, who are daily passing from the city toll nakas. As per the pre-decided rates, a single toll 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.
Commuter can buy monthly pass using two ways --first by visiting the www.nhai.org website or by logging in to the ICICIbankfastag site. ICICI has tied up the M/s MEP Infrastructure Pvt. Ltd. Meanwhile, 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 option 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 three days 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.
