Pune: The toll rates on the Pune-Mumbai Expressway, a major thoroughfare connecting two important cities in Maharashtra, will see an 18% increase effective April 1, 2023. This increase was previously implemented on April 1, 2020, and is set to continue every three years until 2030, as per an ordinance.
According to a senior official from the Maharashtra State Road Department Corporation, toll rates are increased by 6% every year, but it is implemented in three years, resulting in an 18% increase in toll tax. This means private car drivers will now have to pay โน320 for a one-way trip on this 94-kilometer long expressway, compared to the previous toll tax of โน270. The total cost of the trip for car drivers will now be โน360, including an additional charge of โน40 at Vashi.
The increase in toll tax is expected to have an impact on the fares of taxis and buses on the Mumbai-Pune route, with drivers likely to pass on the burden of the increased toll tax to their passengers. Transporters have expressed their concerns, stating that their earnings were already affected due to the pandemic, and the increased toll tax has added further difficulties for them.
