No cash at highway toll plazas from April 10: Transport ministry

Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has said cash payments at toll plazas will be discontinued for travellers on national highways from April 10. (Friday)

In cases where a vehicle enters a fee plaza without a valid FASTag, users can still pay via Unified Payment Interface (UPI), but at a higher charge of 1.25 times the applicable toll fee, the Ministry official said here on Thursday.

The move is aimed at reducing long queues at toll gates and make highway travel smoother for commuters.

The cash payments will no longer be accepted at the toll booths from April 10 and FASTag will remain the primary mode of toll collection, while UPI will serve as the fallback payment option for vehicles that arrive without a valid FASTag, said the official.

"If the user of a vehicle enters a fee plaza without a FASTag or a valid functional FASTag, as the case may be, and opts to pay fee through the Unified Payment Interface (UPI), he shall pay 1.25 times of the user fee, " the Ministry said.