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The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has extended its digital FASTag Local Pass facility to five toll plazas in Karnataka, providing eligible local commuters with an easier way to access monthly toll passes. The expansion is part of a nationwide rollout covering 121 toll plazas and is aimed at reducing paperwork, eliminating repeated visits to toll booths and making toll payments more convenient for residents who frequently use nearby national highways.
The five Karnataka toll plazas included in the latest rollout are Mulawad and Rampura in Bagalkot district, KN Huindy in Mysuru district, Jajirakallu near Hospete and Hirehalli fee plaza in Chitradurga district. The facility became part of the expanded digital system following its initial implementation at a toll plaza in Delhi earlier this year.
Under the system, residents living within a 20-km radius of an eligible toll plaza can apply for a Local Pass through the Rajmargyatra mobile application. The digital process removes the earlier requirement for eligible commuters to visit the toll plaza in person and submit physical documents to establish their residential address.
The application process uses digital verification to establish eligibility. With the applicant's consent, information such as residential address, vehicle details and the FASTag linked to the vehicle can be retrieved through government digital platforms, including DigiLocker and VAHAN. GIS-based verification is also used to determine whether the registered address falls within the prescribed radius.
For frequent local users, the monthly pass is intended to make repeated journeys through the designated toll plaza more economical and convenient. The pass is linked to the eligible vehicle and applies to the specific toll plaza for which it is obtained, meaning commuters need to check whether the plaza they regularly use is covered under the scheme.
The digital Local Pass is part of a wider effort by NHAI to move toll-related services towards online and automated systems. The authority has been expanding FASTag-based services through the Rajmargyatra platform, with the objective of reducing manual intervention and improving transparency in toll operations.
The nationwide rollout currently covers 121 toll plazas, with NHAI indicating that additional locations are expected to be brought under the system in the coming months. For Karnataka, the expansion could particularly benefit residents who make frequent short-distance trips through toll plazas located close to their homes, workplaces or other regular destinations.
The expansion is also expected to make the process more convenient for residents who regularly cross the same toll plaza for work, education, business or other local travel. By shifting verification and pass issuance online, the system can reduce waiting time at toll facilities and limit the need for repeated interaction with toll-plaza personnel.
The digital facility is expected to be expanded to more toll plazas as the local-pass system is integrated further with FASTag and other government databases. For Karnataka commuters, the latest rollout could make frequent highway travel more seamless while supporting the broader transition towards automated toll collection and digital highway services.
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