Motorists travelling on selected motorway routes in Pakistan can now pay their traffic e-challans through Raast QR, after the launch of a new digital payment system aimed at promoting cashless transactions.
The initiative has been introduced through a collaboration between the National Highway Authority (NHA), National Highways and Motorway Police (NHMP), and Zindigi–JS Bank, in line with the State Bank of Pakistan’s digitalisation efforts and the government’s Cashless Pakistan vision.
The facility is currently being rolled out on a pilot basis on the M1 Motorway (Islamabad–Peshawar), M2 Motorway (Islamabad–Lahore), and the Islamabad–Murree Expressway.
Under the new system, motorists issued speeding fines on designated routes can instantly pay their e-challans by scanning a Raast QR code through any banking application, eliminating the need for cash payments.
Officials say the digital payment solution is designed to make challan payments faster, more convenient and transparent while reducing dependence on manual cash collection processes.
Authorities will monitor the performance of the system during the pilot phase before deciding on its expansion to other motorway and highway networks across the country.
Motorists using the selected routes have been encouraged to take advantage of the new QR-based facility for a seamless and cashless payment experience.
Earlier, the National Highways and Motorway Police (NHMP) decided to tighten safety measures on national highways and motorways to make travel safer for road users.
A Motorway Police spokesman said all types of passenger and cargo vehicles would now have to be fitted with fire extinguishers. The move is in response to the increasing danger of the fire in the road accidents, intending to save lives and property.
The Motorway Police has initiated a fire safety awareness campaign across the country which will continue till 24th June to support the initiative. This campaign will involve educating campaign drivers and transport operators on the importance, use and maintenance of fire extinguishers.
The spokesperson stressed the importance of having a working and certified fire extinguisher in vehicles to keep them safe. Drivers have been warned to make sure their fire extinguishers are in good working order and have an expiry date before hitting the road and that if equipment is faulty or has expired, they will not accept it.
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