Mumbai-Pune Expressway, Samruddhi Mahamarg & Atal Setu ‘Illegal’ Toll Collection To End: Check Date, Refund Process

Electric vehicle (EV) owners using the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, Samruddhi Mahamarg and Atal Setu will soon be able to travel without paying tolls. The state has been told to make sure the toll waiver is

fully active on all three routes within the next eight days.

Along with this, the state government will also start the process of refunding toll money that was wrongly collected from EV users since August 22. Owners will have to submit receipts and proof of payment to get their refund. The decision comes after several complaints that EVs were still being charged tolls despite the state’s official policy saying otherwise.

State Pushes For Immediate Fix

The order was issued during the Assembly session after Maharashtra Minister Dada Bhuse admitted that toll amounts were still being deducted in some cases. He explained that the Maharashtra Electric Vehicles Policy 2025 came into effect on August 22, but the toll system still needed to sync FASTag data with the VAHAN database. “We are trying to speed it up and implement the process effectively,” said Bhuse, as quoted by The Indian Express.

Legislative Assembly Speaker Rahul Narvekar stepped in and made it clear that once the policy was active, charging EVs was not allowed. “If even a single EV is being charged toll, then it is illegal,” he said. He instructed the government to ensure the entire system is corrected within eight days and told officials to stop charging EVs immediately.

“No EV should be charged a toll for the next eight days. Also, a system should be established to refund any toll fees that have already been collected from EV owners,” Narvekar said, as quoted by the publication.

Bhuse confirmed that the state government would carry out the Speaker’s directions and ensure compliance across all toll plazas.

Why Tolls Were Still Being Deducted

Officials said most issues were caused by backend mismatches. Many FASTag systems had not updated the EV category correctly, leading to misclassification at toll booths. This caused automatic deductions even though EVs were exempt.

The exemption covers major routes such as the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, the Nagpur-Mumbai Samruddhi Mahamarg and Atal Setu. The EV policy also includes benefits like tax waivers, lower registration charges and subsidies to push more people towards electric mobility.

Steps To Follow For Toll Waiver

EV owners must make sure their FASTag is registered with the VAHAN database.

Only then can the system correctly identify their vehicle and apply the toll exemption.

Those who were charged earlier will need to provide receipts to claim their refund.

Push To Improve Charging Network

Along with correcting the toll system, Legislative Assembly Speaker Narvekar also urged the government to speed up the installation of EV charging stations. With the number of EVs rising, he said better infrastructure and more charging points are essential to support users across the state.