Until now, drivers in Bihar only had to pay toll on national highways running through the state, but that changed on Monday. The state government notified the Bihar Path Upyogkarta Shulk (Daron ka Nirdharan evam Sangrahan) Niyamawali-2026, bringing state highways, big bridges, bypasses and tunnels under a toll tax regime for the very first time. These roads had always been toll free before this rule came into force, so anyone travelling on them will now feel the difference directly in their pocket.
Road Width Will Decide How Much Toll You Pay
Under the new policy, toll won't be uniform across every road, it will depend on how wide the road is and how many lanes it has, which means different stretches of the same state highway could carry different toll percentages.
- On roads four lanes wide or more, the full fixed rate, that is 100 percent of the base toll amount, will be charged.
- Roads wider than two lanes but narrower than four lanes will attract only 60 percent of the fixed rate.
- Where the road has an intermediate lane 5.5 metres wide, 50 percent of the fixed rate will apply.
- Roads narrower than 5.5 metres have been kept completely outside the toll system, meaning travellers on them will not pay a single rupee in toll.
Private Agencies Will Collect The Toll, Survey Already Underway
With the policy now notified, the road construction department's job begins. It will first identify which roads, bridges, bypasses and tunnels will actually be tolled, based on an assessment of how much vehicle traffic each of these routes carries every day. Once that is done, tenders will be floated to select private agencies, and whichever company wins the contract will handle the actual toll collection on the ground. The department is currently carrying out a detailed survey of routes and bypasses to decide where the first toll plazas will come up.
Only FASTag Payments Will Work, Cash Users Lose Out
The biggest shift in the new system concerns how the toll is actually paid. Payment will be accepted only through FASTag or other electronic modes approved by the government. Vehicles without a FASTag fitted will be charged a higher rate than the standard fee, so skipping FASTag will directly cost drivers more. Overloaded vehicles carrying more than their permitted load will also attract an extra charge on top of the regular toll.
Skip The Toll And You Will Pay Triple As Penalty
Anyone who passes through without paying the fixed toll amount will face a steep penalty. Under the rules, such drivers will be charged three times the applicable toll fee, meaning any attempt to dodge the toll ends up costing three times more.
A New Formula For Tolling Long Bridges
The rules also lay out a separate method for calculating toll on bridges. The length of any bridge included in a project will be counted as ten times its actual length while working out the toll distance. Here is how that plays out in practice, if a project's total length is 50 kilometres and it includes a 5 kilometre long bridge, the toll will be calculated on 45 kilometres of road plus 50 kilometres for the bridge, that is 5 multiplied by 10, adding up to a total of 95 kilometres for toll purposes. In effect, long bridges can push up the toll bill considerably.
Two Wheelers, Tractors And A Few Other Vehicles Get A Pass
Not everyone will have to pay. The government has exempted two wheelers, three wheelers, tractors, combine harvesters and animal drawn vehicles from the toll altogether. There is a catch though, this exemption will not apply wherever a service road is available alongside the tolled road. Concessional passes and multiple trip discounts have also been provided for certain specific categories of users.
Per Kilometre Rates Vary By Vehicle Type
The new rules fix a separate per kilometre toll rate for every category of vehicle.
- Cars, jeeps, vans and other light vehicles: Rs 1.25 per kilometre
- Small commercial vehicles, such as mini buses and small goods carriers: Rs 2 per kilometre
- Buses and two axle trucks: Rs 4.25 per kilometre
- Three axle commercial vehicles: Rs 4.60 per kilometre
- Six axle heavy construction equipment or earth moving machinery: Rs 6.65 per kilometre
- Vehicles with seven or more axles: Rs 8.10 per kilometre
Monthly And Concessional Passes For Daily Commuters
The government has also built in relief for people who use these roads every single day, particularly local residents and commercial vehicle owners. Regular commuters will have access to concessional passes, monthly passes and multi trip passes, so they do not have to pay the full toll on every single trip.
Rates Will Be Reviewed Every Year
The government has made it clear that these toll rates are not fixed forever. Taking inflation and the cost of maintaining these roads into account, the rates will be reviewed every year, which means the toll amount could well go up in the years ahead.
