Lucknow, Aug. 18 -- Uttar Pradesh has registered a strong response to the newly launched FASTag Annual Pass, with around 30,000 private vehicles activating the facility and more than 21,000 toll crossings recorded in just two days till August 16. According to official data from the National Highway Authority of India, UP West (Lucknow Zone) accounted for 18,136 transactions, while UP East (Varanasi Zone) reported 3,106 transactions, reflecting the state's heavy highway traffic and the early appeal of the scheme. Officials clarified that activations represent vehicles purchasing the pass, while transactions reflect actual toll use, meaning many new pass holders were yet to make highway trips. "Nationally, as well as in UP, the new scheme has evoked a very encouraging response from the road users with around 30,000 annual Fast Tag activation in UP alone in the first two days till August 16," NHAI member (administration) and senior IAS officer Vishal Chauhan told HT over the phone. "Nationally, more than 1.4 lakh users subscribed on the launch day itself, and by the afternoon of August 17, the figure had crossed 4 lakh activations, resulting in over 4.25 lakh toll-free crossings across India," he revealed. Rolled out nationwide from August 15 following amendments to the National Highways Fee Rules, the Annual Pass can be activated on an existing FASTag through the Rajmargyatra mobile app at a one-time cost of Rs 3,000. "Once activated, it offers either one year of toll-free travel or up to 200 crossings, whichever comes earlier, across designated National Highway (NH) and Expressway plazas," Chauhan said. According to another NHAI official, the strong showing in Uttar Pradesh in the first two days underlines the importance of its extensive highway network. "The Annual Pass is giving frequent travellers cost certainty and making digital tolling more attractive," he said. The list of plazas where the pass is valid has been published on the NHAI website. The annual pass is valid only on national highway and national expressway fee plazas. With momentum building both in UP and nationally, the officials expect the Annual Pass to become a game-changer for private vehicle commuters, making road travel more affordable and seamless. "The Annual Pass Scheme for non-commercial vehicles marks a major step in making highway usage more affordable and convenient for road users," Chauhan said....