The decision, taken under the provisions of the Maharashtra Motor Vehicles Tax Act, 1958, is a partial amendment to the earlier notification of January 31 this year. The exemption will apply to electric four-wheelers and electric buses.
Electric vehicles have been exempted from toll on India’s longest sea bridge, Atal Setu (formerly Mumbai Trans Harbour Link or MTHL), an official said on Friday. According to PTI, the state urban development department said in a notification last Thursday that the exemption will apply to electric four-wheelers and electric buses, including those operated by state transport undertakings and private operators.
Partial amendment made in the previous notification
The decision, taken under the provisions of the Maharashtra Motor Vehicles Tax Act, 1958, is a partial amendment to the earlier notification of January 31 this year, which had imposed toll on all categories of vehicles using the 21.8-km-long sea link and its approach roads.
The decision is aimed at extending the toll exemption to the Mumbai-Pune Expressway and Samruddhi Expressway soon. The toll exemption on electric vehicles reflects Maharashtra’s intention to reduce carbon emissions, tackle harmful pollutants and promote clean transport solutions.
Which vehicles will not be charged toll
The Maharashtra Electric Vehicle Policy (EV Policy) offers several benefits to electric mobility, including toll exemption on major highways. Vehicles eligible for toll relief include private electric cars, passenger four-wheelers, state transport buses, and urban public transport electric vehicles. However, electric freight vehicles will not get the benefit of this exemption.
22,400 registered electric vehicles
This decision will promote EV adoption and reduce fuel dependence in transportation. Currently, Mumbai has a growing fleet of electric vehicles, which includes 18,400 light four-wheelers, 2,500 light passenger vehicles, 1,200 heavy passenger vehicles and 300 medium passenger vehicles. There are a total of 22,400 registered electric vehicles. 60,000 vehicles pass through Atal Setu every day, of which 34,000-40,000 vehicles exclusively use Atal Setu, 22,000 on Samruddhi Expressway and thousands of vehicles travel on Mumbai-Pune Expressway.
