National Highway Toll Collections Hit Rs 150 Cr Per Day in 2023-24

Last week, Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari informed the Lok Sabha that the collection of user fees experienced a significant boost from heavy commercial vehicles following the implementation of FASTag.

Data from the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, presented in Lok Sabha and analyzed by News18, reveals a remarkable surge in toll collections on national highways. In the initial three months of the current financial year, the daily toll collection averaged around Rs 150 crore, surpassing the previous year’s first-quarter daily average of about Rs 130 crore (FY 2022-23).

Notably, the adoption of FASTags has played a pivotal role in this growth. The average monthly toll collection through FASTags during the first quarter of 2023 reached an impressive Rs 4,406 crore. This figure outperforms the average monthly collection in the previous quarter (January-March 2023) at Rs 4,083 crore, as well as the first quarter of 2022 at Rs 3,841 crore.

Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari highlighted that heavy commercial vehicles were the major contributors to the increased user fee collection post the implementation of FASTag. With 898 toll plazas on national highways as of June 30, 2023, the user fee is levied according to the National Highways Fee (Determination of Rates and Collection) Rules, 2008. This impressive growth in toll collections signifies a significant enhancement in India’s road infrastructure and revenue generation capabilities.

According to Ministry data, toll collection on national highways across India has witnessed a remarkable three-fold increase between 2015-16 and 2022-23. The user fee collection at toll plazas on national highways reached Rs 48,028.22 crore in 2022-23, a substantial rise from Rs 17,759.12 crore in 2015-16.

During the fiscal year 2022-23, the average daily toll collection surged to Rs 132 crore, showcasing a significant improvement from the previous year’s average of Rs 93 crore per day in 2021-22. In the fiscal years 2019-20 and 2020-21, these figures hovered around Rs 75 crore per day. The data reflects a noteworthy enhancement in toll revenue and highlights the positive growth in India’s road infrastructure and user fee collection mechanism over the years.

Gadkari acknowledged that the shift from manual toll collection to electronic tolling through FASTag has significantly enhanced the overall user fee collection. He also mentioned that user fee collection experiences annual increments due to the growth in traffic, revisions in user fee rates, and the addition of new tollable road segments.

Furthermore, the declaration of all lanes at toll plazas on national highways as FASTag lanes has led to improved compliance in toll collection, contributing to the overall success of the electronic tolling system.