FASTag annual passes now account for 19 percent of all toll pass traffic, up from around 13 percent in December, a six percentage point growth in as many months, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) website data shows.
In June, the total trips through toll gates stood at 44.4 crore, of which 8.4 crore were through annual passes. The 36 crore trips cumulatively raised Rs 7,214 crore during the month.
During June 2025, FASTag reported 38.6 crore trips, raising Rs 6,973 crore. While the cumulative volume growth stood at 15 percent, the value growth stood at 3.5 percent, the dent in collections came from the annual passes.
The overall impact on toll gate collections is around 10 percent, which is partially compensated with annual pass revenue, making the effective loss in the range of 7-8 percent.
The annual pass, launched on August 15 for Rs 3,075, grants 200 highway trips a year. At around, Rs 15.40 a trip, it is considerably cheaper than regular toll rates.
Back-of-the-envelope calculations estimate that the NHAI’s average monthly revenue loss run rate was around Rs 700 crore as of June. The revenue collection run rate from annual passes is around Rs 170–180 crore a month, resulting in a net monthly shortfall of around Rs 500 crore.
To be sure, these are estimates based on last year's revenue growth and are not official figures.
The annual pass is available only for private passenger vehicles, which constitute around 40 percent of all toll gate traffic. Their share in revenue is only 25 percent, lowering the impact of the annual pass on revenue for toll road operators. Trucks, vans and buses pay much higher toll.
Credit rating agency CRISIL estimates that toll operators could lose somewhere in the range of 4-8 percent, assuming a third of these vehicles purchase the annual passes. But the overall impact seems to be in the range of 10 percent, higher than CRISIL's estimates.
Adoption slowing down
According to the latest data as of March 15, 5.6 million vehicles have adopted FASTag annual passes. The annual pass was launched at Rs 3,000, which was raised to Rs 3,075 early this year.
On average, 6 lakh new annual passes are being added this year compared with around 10 lakh additions every month last year. The adoption rate is going to slow down as only passenger vehicles that frequently use the highway will opt for the annual passes.
The FASTag annual pass is a convenient option for regular travellers on specific highways or expressways. Intended to offer unlimited travel on specified toll roads, it charges once for the entire year to eliminate the need for per-trip charges.
With FASTag becoming the unavoidable norm at most toll plazas throughout the country, the annual pass provides greater convenience and economic benefits to high-frequency users.