The Government of India will roll out its GPS-based toll collection system next year. As per a PTI report, Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari said the government will introduce the GPS-based toll collection system by March 2024. He added the government is also considering other systems as well to replace the current system of physical toll-collection booths.
Also read: NHAI Holds Workshop For GPS-Based Toll System
The GPS-based system in theory is said to use geo-fencing to mark out virtual toll points along national highways with owners being charged a toll when their vehicle – equipped with an on-board GPS - crosses these points. The toll is collected directly from the vehicle owner’s bank account. The system was originally cleared by the government back in 2020 with a workshop between the NHAI and major stakeholders such as car manufacturers, government departments and ISRO being held last year.
FASTags has reduced wait times at toll plazas though there are still cases of congestion near densely populated towns.
Gadkari added that the government had also undertaken two pilot projects for automatic number plate recognition systems for collection tolls. The system uses cameras to read the vehicle’s numberplates thus charging the required toll from the owners without requiring the car to stop.
The new systems should further help clear congestion particularly on major national highways across the country. The PTI report stated that since the implementation of FASTags, wait times at toll plazas had reduced to 47 seconds on average – down from 8 minutes, though there were still cases of major congestion, particularly near densely populated towns during peak hours.
