The National Highways Authority of India introduced a Toll Plaza Feedback feature on its Rajmargyatra mobile application on 19 October 2026, allowing National Highway users to rate their experience at toll plazas, report problems and suggest improvements. Annual pass holders now receive a prompt after crossing a toll plaza, while every other app user can open the feedback option from the menu. The feature gives NHAI a direct stream of user evidence to judge how well toll plazas are being run across the country.
What Is the Rajmargyatra Toll Plaza Feedback Feature?
The Toll Plaza Feedback feature is a new module inside the Rajmargyatra app that lets National Highway users rate a toll plaza, flag specific problems and add written remarks. NHAI uses these submissions to spot poor service and monitor whether toll operators are meeting expected standards.
The feature creates two routes for a road user. A FASTag Annual Pass holder receives a notification from the app after crossing a National Highway toll plaza, asking for a quick review of that particular plaza. Every other registered user can open the Toll Plaza Feedback option in the app menu and submit a review for any toll plaza, even if no notification was received.
| User category | How the feedback option is accessed |
|---|---|
| FASTag Annual Pass holder | App notification after crossing a National Highway toll plaza |
| Any other Rajmargyatra user | Toll Plaza Feedback option in the app menu |
FASTag is the radio-frequency identification tag fixed to a vehicle’s windscreen. It lets a toll plaza read the vehicle and deduct the user fee electronically, without a cash transaction at the booth.
The form asks the user to rate the experience on a scale, choose options that match the journey and add remarks where needed. This makes the submission more specific than a simple star rating. A complaint about a long queue, a faulty FASTag reader or an unclean facility can be separated from a general comment about staff behaviour.
NHAI has positioned the module as a service-monitoring tool rather than a one-off survey. Repeated feedback from the same plaza can show whether a problem is temporary or structural, and whether the agency operating the plaza has addressed it. The authority has said the inputs will help it identify and monitor areas where toll plaza services need improvement.
What Is the Rajmargyatra App?
Rajmargyatra is the official all-in-one mobile application of NHAI for National Highway users. Launched on 3 August 2023, it combines highway information, toll and FASTag services, route planning and a complaint redressal system on a single platform.
The app is a joint initiative of NHAI and the Indian Highways Management Company Limited (IHMCL), the company incorporated on 26 December 2012 to implement electronic toll collection across the country. NHAI itself is a statutory authority under the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH), created by the National Highways Authority of India Act, 1988. It is responsible for developing, maintaining and managing the National Highways entrusted to it.
| Service | What the app offers |
|---|---|
| Annual Pass | Purchase, renewal and tracking of the National Highway Annual Pass |
| FASTag | Status check, recharge, monthly pass and OneTag issuer-bank porting |
| Route planning | EnRoute planner showing tolls on National, State and private plazas with cost estimates |
| Toll plaza information | Rates, operator details and amenities for National Highway plazas |
| Grievance redressal | Complaints on road conditions, toll operations and facilities with status tracking |
| Emergency support | Direct access to the 1033 National Highway Helpline |
The app is available on Android and iOS and works in English, Hindi and more than 13 regional languages. NHAI reported over 15 lakh downloads and a rating of about 4.5 stars on Google Play by November 2025, when it ranked second in the travel category.
The FASTag Annual Pass Connection
The feedback notification is closely tied to the National Highway Annual Pass, launched on 15 August 2025. The pass costs ₹3,000 for 200 toll plaza crossings or one year, whichever comes first, and is available for private non-commercial cars, jeeps and vans with a valid FASTag. The fee for the 2026-27 cycle is ₹3,075. It covers about 1,150 toll plazas on National Highways and National Expressways and activates within two hours of payment.
More than 77 lakh Annual Passes had been issued by June 2026, according to official figures. Because each pass is linked to a vehicle and a FASTag account, NHAI can identify exactly when a pass holder crosses a toll plaza. That is what makes the automatic feedback prompt possible.
How Can Highway Users Submit Toll Plaza Feedback?
A user can submit feedback by opening the Rajmargyatra app, selecting Toll Plaza Feedback from the menu, choosing the plaza, rating the experience and adding remarks. Annual Pass holders can also respond directly to the notification received after crossing a toll plaza.
The process is designed for use during or immediately after a journey, when the details are still fresh. A user does not need to visit a separate website or file a physical form.
- Update the Rajmargyatra app to the latest version and sign in with the registered mobile number.
- Open the menu and select Toll Plaza Feedback. An Annual Pass holder can instead tap the notification that appears after crossing a plaza.
- Confirm the toll plaza and the journey details. The notification route is linked to the plaza just crossed, while the menu route allows the user to choose any plaza.
- Rate the experience on the app’s scale and select the options that match the issue faced.
- Add remarks if the available options do not capture the full problem, then submit the feedback.
The rating and the selected options together give NHAI a structured record. A low rating with a specific issue is more useful than a low rating alone, because it tells the authority what went wrong and where. The remarks field allows a user to explain a problem that does not fit the predefined choices.
The feature is available in the same languages as the app, so a user can report an issue in a preferred regional language. This matters on a network that runs through states with very different linguistic preferences.
Where Can Highway Users Complain About a Toll Plaza?
Highway users can complain about a toll plaza through the Rajmargyatra app, the 24x7 National Highway Helpline 1033, the NHAI WhatsApp chatbot on 8810331033, the Centralised Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System (CPGRAMS) portal or the dedicated email for wrong FASTag deductions.
Each channel serves a different purpose. An emergency needs a phone call, a wrong deduction needs a transaction record, and a service complaint needs a written trail. Choosing the right channel saves time.
| Channel | Best suited for | How to access |
|---|---|---|
| Rajmargyatra app | Toll plaza service, road condition, facilities and feedback | Android or iOS app |
| National Highway Helpline 1033 | Emergencies, toll charges, FASTag queries and general complaints | Toll-free call, 24x7 |
| NHAI WhatsApp chatbot | Feedback, accident or emergency reports, complaint updates | 8810331033 |
| CPGRAMS | Formal grievance against NHAI or MoRTH | pgportal.gov.in |
| Dedicated email | Wrong or double FASTag deduction | falsededuction@ihmcl.com |
| FASTag issuer bank | Tag status, balance, blocking and transaction disputes | Bank helpline |
| Toll Information System | Toll rates, route details and field officer contacts | tis.nhai.gov.in |
The 1033 helpline is a four-digit toll-free universal access number that operates 24 hours a day, all year. It offers multilingual support and can arrange an ambulance, highway patrol vehicle or crane after an accident. It also handles non-emergency matters such as FASTag complaints, toll charges, potholes and the quality of facilities at toll plazas.
The Rajmargyatra app’s existing complaint module allows a user to attach geo-tagged photographs or videos, track the status of a grievance and receive system-generated escalation if a case is delayed. The new Toll Plaza Feedback feature adds a lighter, faster layer on top of that system. It is meant for a quick rating and a specific observation, while the formal complaint route remains available for issues that need investigation and a written response.
Why Toll Plazas Matter to India’s Highway Economy
Toll plazas are the revenue gateways of India’s National Highway network. User fee collections fund highway maintenance and repay concessionaires, while efficient plaza operations directly affect travel time, fuel use and freight costs.
The scale of the network explains why a small service improvement can have a large effect. India’s National Highway length rose from 91,287 km in 2014 to about 1,46,572 km by December 2025, a growth of roughly 60 per cent. As of June 2026, 1,235 fee plazas were operational on National Highways.
| Indicator | Latest available figure |
|---|---|
| National Highway length | About 1,46,572 km (December 2025) |
| Operational fee plazas | 1,235 (June 2026) |
| Toll collection across highways in FY26 | ₹67,400 crore |
| Toll plaza transactions in FY26 | 3.81 billion |
| FASTag share of user fee collection | About 98 per cent |
| FASTags issued | More than 11.73 crore (November 2025) |
User fee is levied under the National Highways Fee (Determination of Rates and Collection) Rules, 2008, notified on 5 December 2008. The rules were framed under Section 9 of the National Highways Act, 1956. In the open tolling system followed on most stretches, the fee is a fixed amount based on the length of the project, usually about 60 km. If the stretch is shorter, the fee is charged only for the actual length.
The law also sets out who does not pay. Rule 4(4) exempts two-wheelers, three-wheelers, tractors, combine harvesters and animal-drawn vehicles. Rule 11 exempts vehicles carrying specified constitutional dignitaries, defence and police vehicles on official duty, ambulances and funeral vans. These exemptions are a frequent source of public confusion, and clear information at the plaza is part of the service experience that the feedback feature can now capture.
A toll plaza is more than a payment point. It is expected to have toilets, drinking water, lighting, closed-circuit television (CCTV) surveillance, ambulances, cranes, patrol vehicles and display boards. When any of these is missing or poorly maintained, the user feels the failure at the plaza itself. That is why NHAI is collecting feedback at the point of experience rather than waiting for a formal complaint.
What the Feedback Feature Means for Users and Toll Operators
For highway users, the feature creates a quick route to report a bad experience without filing a formal complaint. For NHAI and toll operators, it produces location-specific data that can be used to compare plazas and spot recurring failures before they become routine.
The value lies in the link between a rating and a specific plaza. A general complaint about highway services can be difficult to act upon. A low rating attached to a named toll plaza, a date and a set of selected issues gives the field office something concrete to verify. It also allows NHAI to see whether the same operator is drawing complaints across several plazas or whether a problem is confined to one location.
This matters because toll plazas are run by different agencies. Some are managed directly under public-funded projects, while others are operated by concessionaires under Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT), Operate-Maintain-Transfer (OMT) or Toll-Operate-Transfer (TOT) arrangements. The responsibility for cleanliness, lane management and staff behaviour rests with the agency running the plaza. User feedback gives NHAI a way to test contractual claims against actual experience.
The feature also fits a wider push on accountability. In October 2026, NHAI introduced a stricter monitoring and enforcement mechanism for toilet blocks, toll collection booths, surrounding areas and signboards. Officials are required to inspect these facilities at least once a week. A deficiency can trigger a show-cause notice to the user fee collection agency, followed by penalties if the problem is not fixed. If unresolved deficiency notices reach 10 per cent or more of the plazas an agency operates, it can be treated as a non-performer. Such an agency can be barred from bidding for NHAI contracts for 15 days or until the deficiencies are cleared.
NHAI also runs a separate photo-based cleanliness initiative, the Clean Toilet Picture Challenge, launched in September 2025. A highway user can upload a clear, geo-tagged and time-stamped photograph of an unclean toilet at an NHAI-managed toll plaza through the Rajmargyatra app. An eligible vehicle registration number receives ₹1,000 as a FASTag recharge. The scheme was extended to 30 June 2027, and 429 commuters had been rewarded in 2026 up to July.
A similar rating logic already exists under the Humsafar policy for wayside amenities. Service providers registered under the policy can receive a waiver of renewal fees if they maintain an average rating of 3 or higher. The Rajmargyatra app is the common platform for both efforts, which makes the new toll plaza module a natural extension of an existing feedback culture rather than an isolated experiment.
Challenges and the Road Ahead
The feature will succeed only if feedback leads to visible action. Two tests stand out: whether commercial drivers use it, and whether a user can see that a complaint produced a fix. The risk of fake or exaggerated ratings also needs careful handling.
Not every highway user is an app user. A truck driver may cross a dozen plazas in a week but may not use a consumer travel app. NHAI has tried to bridge this gap through partnerships with fleet aggregator platforms. In March 2026, IHMCL signed an agreement with major commercial vehicle aggregators to integrate Rajmargyatra alerts and enable structured driver feedback on toll plaza operations, including waiting time, charging accuracy and lane efficiency. Such partnerships can bring commercial drivers into the feedback system without requiring them to use a separate app.
The quality of feedback is another issue. A rating can be influenced by a single bad interaction, and a coordinated campaign of low ratings can distort the picture. Linking a submission to a vehicle crossing, a plaza and a time helps NHAI test whether the experience was genuine. The authority has not said that every rating will be individually investigated, so the feedback data is likely to be used as a screening tool that directs inspections and audits.
The road ahead is also changing the nature of tolling itself. NHAI is rolling out Multi-Lane Free Flow (MLFF) tolling, where vehicles pass without stopping and the fee is deducted using FASTag and Automatic Number Plate Recognition cameras. Five MLFF plazas were live by 2026, and 17 had been awarded. A Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) based tolling system is also being examined. As physical queues disappear, complaints will shift towards wrong deductions and missed reads. A feedback channel that records the plaza, the time and the vehicle remains useful in that environment.
For now, the immediate test is simpler. A user who rates a plaza poorly should be able to see, over time, that the plaza has improved. If that connection becomes visible, the feature will do more than collect opinions. It will make the toll plaza answerable to the people who pay to use it.
Key Takeaways
- NHAI introduced the Toll Plaza Feedback feature on the Rajmargyatra app on 19 October 2026, allowing users to rate toll plazas, select journey-related issues and add remarks.
- FASTag Annual Pass holders receive a feedback notification after crossing a National Highway toll plaza, while all other users can access the feature from the app menu.
- The Rajmargyatra app was launched on 3 August 2023 by NHAI and IHMCL and supports English, Hindi and more than 13 regional languages.
- India had 1,235 operational fee plazas on National Highways as of June 2026, and toll collection across highways in FY26 stood at ₹67,400 crore.
- Highway users can also complain through the 1033 national helpline, the NHAI WhatsApp chatbot on 8810331033, the CPGRAMS portal and the email falsededuction@ihmcl.com.
- The Clean Toilet Picture Challenge, launched in September 2025, offers ₹1,000 in FASTag recharge for verified reports of unclean toilets at NHAI-managed toll plazas and has been extended to 30 June 2027.
- User fee on National Highways is governed by the National Highways Fee (Determination of Rates and Collection) Rules, 2008, framed under Section 9 of the National Highways Act, 1956.
