New Delhi: The introduction of the annual toll pass on Independence Day, higher freight movement ahead of the festive season, increased toll rates from April 1, and addition of new toll roads boosted toll collection to the second-highest ever at ₹7,052.91 crore in August.
This is despite heavy monsoon rains in several parts of the country, damaging national highways and disrupting movement of commercial and private vehicles.
Toll collection in August climbed nearly 26% from ₹5,610.64 crore in the year before, according to national electronic toll collection data from the National Payments Corporation of India. The highest toll collection in India till date was in May 2025 at ₹7,087.16 crore.
A senior government official told ET that the launch of the annual FASTag facility from August 15 has added to toll revenues. "Toll collection is expected to remain high in coming months as we head towards festive months," the official said.
Over 1.3 million users have availed the annual FASTag till date, making more than 10 million transactions.
Experts, however, attributed the surge in toll collection largely to freight movement, saying private vehicles contribute barely 25% of the total toll collection.
"The uptick in toll collections points to stronger freight traffic, likely reflecting higher consumption trends," said Jagannarayan Padmanabhan, senior director and global head, consulting, Crisil Intelligence.
"While this isn't conclusive evidence, the improvement in per-vehicle realisations suggests healthier goods movement and early signs of demand momentum ahead of the festive season," he said.
According to Padmanabhan, August saw the highest collection per FASTag at ₹184.65, reflected increased freight traffic.
The government has raised toll rates by 4-5% on expressways and national highways across the country effective April 1, linked to changes in the wholesale price index-based inflation.
There are around 855 user fee plazas on national highways on which user fee is levied as per National Highways Fee (Determination of Rates and Collection) Rules, 2008. Out of these, around 675 are public-funded fee plazas and 180 are concessionaire-operated toll plazas.
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This is despite heavy monsoon rains in several parts of the country, damaging national highways and disrupting movement of commercial and private vehicles.
Toll collection in August climbed nearly 26% from ₹5,610.64 crore in the year before, according to national electronic toll collection data from the National Payments Corporation of India. The highest toll collection in India till date was in May 2025 at ₹7,087.16 crore.
A senior government official told ET that the launch of the annual FASTag facility from August 15 has added to toll revenues. "Toll collection is expected to remain high in coming months as we head towards festive months," the official said.
Over 1.3 million users have availed the annual FASTag till date, making more than 10 million transactions.
Experts, however, attributed the surge in toll collection largely to freight movement, saying private vehicles contribute barely 25% of the total toll collection.
"The uptick in toll collections points to stronger freight traffic, likely reflecting higher consumption trends," said Jagannarayan Padmanabhan, senior director and global head, consulting, Crisil Intelligence.
"While this isn't conclusive evidence, the improvement in per-vehicle realisations suggests healthier goods movement and early signs of demand momentum ahead of the festive season," he said.
According to Padmanabhan, August saw the highest collection per FASTag at ₹184.65, reflected increased freight traffic.
The government has raised toll rates by 4-5% on expressways and national highways across the country effective April 1, linked to changes in the wholesale price index-based inflation.
There are around 855 user fee plazas on national highways on which user fee is levied as per National Highways Fee (Determination of Rates and Collection) Rules, 2008. Out of these, around 675 are public-funded fee plazas and 180 are concessionaire-operated toll plazas.
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