The National roads Authority of India (NHAI) is set to increase the toll levy with effect from midnight on March 31, 2025, making it more expensive to travel on India’s roads and motorways.
Commuters and commercial operators on major roads, such as the Lucknow highways, Delhi-Meerut Motorway, Eastern Peripheral Motorway, NH-9, and the Delhi-Jaipur highway, would be impacted by the updated charges, which go into effect on April 1. This is the second rise in tolls in a year; the first one was in June 2024.
Notifications detailing the updated toll prices for different toll plazas have been released by the NHAI. Light vehicles, like automobiles, will pay an additional INR 5 to INR 10 every trip on the highways that pass through Lucknow, including as the Lucknow-Kanpur, Ayodhya, Raebareli, and Barabanki routes, while large trucks would pay a harsher premium of INR 20 to INR 25.
Additionally impacted are the NH-9, the Eastern Peripheral Motorway, and the Delhi-Meerut Motorway. In Sarai Kale Khan to Meerut, for example, the one-way toll for automobiles and jeeps will increase from INR 165 to INR 170. Trucks will now pay INR 580 every journey, while buses and light commercial vehicles will pay INR 275. The tolls for cars will go up from INR 170 to INR 175, light commercial vehicles to INR 280, and buses and trucks to INR 590 at the Chhijarsi toll plaza on NH-9.
The largest increase in tolls will be INR 590 for vehicles with more than seven axles that are transporting cargo. The toll will also go up from INR 70 to INR 75 from Ghaziabad to Meerut. The new tariffs will take effect the day after March 31, but these rates will stay the same until then.
Changes will also be made to the Kherki Daula toll plaza on the Delhi-Jaipur route. Larger vehicles will pay an extra INR 5 every trip, although tolls for cars and jeeps stay the same. This plaza’s monthly pass used to cost INR 930, but now it costs INR 950, an increase of INR 20. The monthly permit for commercial vehicles and jeeps will increase from INR 1225 to INR 1255, with each side paying INR 85. Single-journey tolls for minibuses and light motor vehicles (LMVs) would rise from INR 120 to INR 125.
Reactions to the toll rise have been conflicting. Some commuters complain about the regular hikes, while others see the necessity of supporting infrastructure.
The NHAI has promised that the extra money will go towards continuing highway expansion and maintenance initiatives. Until midnight on March 31, 2025, tolls will continue to be collected at the current rates; after that, the new prices will be implemented statewide. As these changes take effect, travellers are encouraged to make appropriate travel plans.
