Motorists using expressways will find themselves paying higher tolls as the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has decided to increase them across the country by an average of 5 per cent. The annual revision of highway user fees, expected to be around an average of 5 per cent, was initially scheduled for April 1 but was postponed due to the Lok Sabha elections.

According to a senior NHAI official, the new user fees will be implemented from June 3, 2024. This adjustment in toll fees is part of the yearly process to update rates in accordance with changes in the wholesale price index (CPI)-based inflation.

The national highway network comprises approximately 855 user fee plazas where tolls are collected as per the National Highways Fee (Determination of Rates and Collection) Rules, 2008. Among these, about 675 are funded publicly, while 180 are operated by concessionaires.