ISLAMABAD: Motorists traveling on motorways will be required to pay a new fee for M-TAGs, the electronic toll collection tags used for motorway travel. Authorities have urged vehicle owners to replace their old M-TAGs before May 31, 2026 to avoid additional charges.
Currently, replacement of tags that are over five years old is being offered free of cost. However, under the new system, users of outdated M-TAGs will need to switch to the “One Country One Tag” system to continue uninterrupted travel on motorways.
According to officials:
From June 1, 2026: Vehicle owners who fail to replace their M-TAGs within the free window will be charged PKR 150 for the replacement.
From July 1, 2026: Old M-TAGs may be completely blocked, and the replacement fee will increase to PKR 300.
Authorities have advised all motorway users to update their M-TAGs promptly to avoid inconvenience and additional charges.
Waiting in long queue: People complain about poor quality of Islamabad Metro scanners
Meanwhile, security check-in has become a constant torment for passengers of the Islamabad Metro Bus Service, where, due to poor quality scanners and a lack of metro travel cards, the residents of the twin cities are facing long queues and extreme humiliation every day.
Millions of people travel between Islamabad and Rawalpindi every day, but the poor condition and slow speed of the security scanners newly installed at the metro stations have made this modern travel facility a source of torment for the citizens.
A large number of passengers say that the scanners installed at most stations are either technically inoperative or their speed is so slow that even passing through it take excessive time. As a result of this slowness, students and employees going to offices, hospitals, and educational institutions have to stand in queues for several minutes, which they fail to reach their destination on time.
The situation worsens during rush hours when women, children, and the elderly also have to wait for long in the same cramped environment. Citizens allege that due to the complete breakdown of scanners at many places, only manual searches are being conducted, which is not only a waste of time but also a big question mark in terms of security.
Expressing deep anger and resentment over this criminal silence of the metro administration, citizens have said that the failure to provide basic facilities and modern cards like Peshawar is a matter of the hour. They have demanded that these scanners be immediately replaced with a modern card system in which there is no need for staff to handle this operation.
