The government has raised the road toll on up to 23 different roads, including the Nagdhunga-Naubise Tunnel. That means, vehicles, including motorbikes to four-wheelers, need to pay a fee while using those roads for travel.
What’s a road toll?
Road toll refers to a small fee that drivers pay for using a particular road section. These are some roads that are busy and are significant for commercial as well as regular transport services.
In Nepal’s context, the government levies a road toll on 23 roads. The government has increased the number of such “paid” roads from 15 to 23. Now, the government has added eight new roads to the list, which can be used after paying a toll.
It is noted that the government stopped charging road tolls on the roads during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, it’s now prepared to levy charges on them. Among the newly added roads are Kathmandu-Madhesh Fast Track and Nagudhunge-Naubise tunnel. They are not yet in operation but will bear charges when they come into operation.
It’s said that the Mahendra Highway (4 sections on the west), Araniko Highway, Prithvi Highway, Fast Track, and Nagdhunga Tunnel have been added to the list of road toll provisions. Fees will be charged on the Butwal-Lamahi, Lamahi-Kohalpur, Kohalpur-Attariya, and Attariya-Gaddachawki sections of the Mahendra Highway. Similarly, the list includes the Dhulikhel-Tatopani, Muglin-Pokhara, Kathmandu-Terai Fast Track, and Nagdhunga-Naubise Tunnel.
When will you have to pay a road toll?
There is no fixed date announced for the start of the road toll in Nepal. But we do know the fee structures to some extent. For now, the government has decided to continue with the same fees as before the COVID-19 pandemic. There is a plan to levy charges on a total of 22 roads.
Historical background
There is quite a long history of road toll in Nepal, although the idea might seem completely alien to some.
The road tolls were collected under the Road Board Act 2058 BS. It started collecting tolls on the Bhairahawa-Bhumai and Birgunj-Pathlaiya roads by publishing a notice in the Nepal Rajpatra on 2067 BS. Until 2076 BS, tolls were collected on 11 roads, including Hetauda-Narayanghat, Narayanghat-Butwal, Naubise-Muglin, Kakadbhitta-Damak, Damak-Itahari, Biratnagar-Dharan, Koshi-Chaiharwa, Chaiharwa-Pathlaiya, and Hetauda-Birgunj.
More road sections, such as Dhulikhel-Khurkot, Khurkot-Sindhuli-Bardibas, and Panchkhal-Melamchi, were added after publishing a notice in the Rajpatra on Baisakh 2, 2076 BS. Later on, Bhadra 8, 2077, the Narayangadh-Mugling road section was added to the list. But after the COVID-19 pandemic, the practice of levying charges on the road stopped.
Road Toll List
| Sadakkhanda (Road Section) | Motorcycle, Tempo | Car, Jeep, Van, Tractor | Minibus, Truck, Bus, Truck, Heavy Equipment |
| Hetauda – Narayanghat | Rs 10 | Rs 50 | Rs 130 |
| Narayanghat – Butwal | Rs 10 | Rs 40 | Rs 100 |
| Naubise – Mugling | Rs 10 | Rs 50 | Rs 120 |
| Bhairahawa – Bhumai | Rs 10 | Rs 20 | Rs 30 |
| Kakarbhitta – Damak | Rs 10 | Rs 30 | Rs 75 |
| Damak – Itahari | Rs 10 | Rs 50 | Rs 125 |
| Biratnagar – Dharan | Rs 10 | Rs 25 | Rs 70 |
| Hetauda – Birgunj | Rs 10 | Rs 35 | Rs 85 |
| Birgunj – Pathlaiya | Rs 10 | Rs 20 | Rs 50 |
| Narayangadh – Mugling | – | Rs 25 | Rs 55 |
| Bhedetar – Baireni | Rs 10 | Rs 50 | Rs 110 |
| Kadmaha–Itahari–Damak | Rs 10 | Rs 50 | Rs 100 |
In terms of the Nagdhunga tunnel, the tunnel has been divided into 4 sections for the road toll. Small four-wheeled vehicles, such as cars, vans, pickups, and microbuses, entering Kathmandu via the tunnel will need to pay Rs 75 in road toll. When exiting Kathmandu via the tunnel, these vehicles will have to pay a toll of Rs 50.
That’s Rs 25 less than when entering the capital. Similarly, mini buses, mini trucks, and tippers will have to pay a toll of Rs 125 when entering Kathmandu and Rs 100 when exiting. Similarly, buses and trucks will have to pay Rs 250 when entering Kathmandu and Rs 200 when exiting. Lorries will need to pay Rs 500 while entering Kathmandu and Rs 300 while exiting.
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The ‘Road Toll Collection Procedure 2081’ prepared by the board has been approved by the Council of Ministers on the 17th of Jestha.
The government will start collecting road toll once it’s published in the Nepal Rajpatra. T