India’s Highways Cash In: Daily Toll Collections Quadruple In 10 Years To Rs 183 Crore

The average daily toll collection in India has increased by about four times in the last decade—from Rs 48.66 crore per day in 2015-16 to Rs 183.07 crore per day in 2025-26, official data analysed by News18 shows.

This financial year, between April 1 and December 31, a total of Rs 50,345.10 crore was collected as toll, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari told Rajya Sabha on Wednesday. During 2015-16, India collected Rs 17,759.28 crore in toll.

At the current run rate, collections are likely to surpass last year’s total. Post 2020-21, a sharp increase was witnessed in toll collection across India that has continued.

The surge in collections also coincides with full FASTag implementation. In February 2021, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways declared

all lanes FASTag, making it mandatory for all vehicles entering toll plazas, failing which they must pay twice the applicable toll.

In 2021-22, the toll collected touched Rs 33,928.66 crore, which increased to Rs 48,032.40 crore in 2022-23, Rs 55,882.12 crore in 2023-24, and Rs 61,408.15 crore in 2024-25. Overall, user fee collections have more than tripled between 2015-16 and 2024-25.

In 2020-21, the year that witnessed the outbreak of coronavirus, the toll collection on national highways stood at Rs 27,926.67 crore—about Rs 76.51 crore per day on average.

In 2016-17, the total toll collection stood at Rs 18,511.86 crore, which increased to Rs 21,763.56 crore in 2017-18. This collection rose to Rs 26,188.02 crore in 2018–19 and Rs 27,503.86 crore in 2019–20.

Gadkari explained that the increase in the amount of user fee collection at toll fee plazas on national highways depends on several factors.

“These include the annual revision of user fee, which is linked to the wholesale price index in accordance with the National Highways Fee (Determination of Rates and Collection) Rules, 2008, increase in the length of highways under tolling, the volume of traffic plying on the stretch, and the category of vehicles using the highway,” he said.