New annual FASTag local pass will not be valid on Atal Setu or Bandra-Worli Sea Link

Mumbai commuters hoping to cut toll costs with the new annual FASTag local pass should note that the concession will not be available for travel on the Bandra-Worli Sea Link and Atal Setu.

The pass will cost Rs 1,500, or Rs 3,000 from November 1, 2026. It is meant for eligible people who live within 20 km of a designated toll plaza on a national highway.

It would be wrong to treat it as a toll pass for the whole city. Bridges that run under a separate toll system are not covered automatically.

The Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has amended the National Highways Fee Rules, 2008. The change introduced the annual concession for eligible private vehicle owners.

Another condition is that the pass will be valid only at the specific toll plaza for which it is issued. A motorist cannot use it at several toll plazas along a daily route.

Atal Setu is also known as the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link. It and the Bandra-Worli Sea Link are each managed under their own project plans through separate toll systems. The new national highway local pass concession therefore does not apply automatically on these routes.

Motorists should check the official list of eligible toll plazas before buying the pass, so that they do not discover after paying that their plaza is not on it.

Those who regularly use Atal Setu to travel between Mumbai and Navi Mumbai should not expect relief from this pass. The same holds for those who use the Bandra-Worli Sea Link between the western suburbs and South Mumbai. Their toll charges on these bridges will not fall because of the new pass.

In sum, the pass is only for people living near designated national highway toll plazas, and only for that one plaza. Mumbai's two major sea links fall outside its scope.