Indian Government Announces New GPS-Based Toll Collection System
The Indian government has released a new set of rules for the highway toll collection system. That uses a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) to track vehicle movements. New GPS based GNSS toll system will work on FASTag and automatically grant exemptions for travel up to 20 km for some vehicles. This new system changes the way drivers pay tolls on national highways as the system is being used to track vehicles and will allow them to travel up to 20 kilometres on national highways without incurring any charges.
With new rules, drivers, owners or individuals that are in-charge of vehicles will now be assessed a “zero user fee” for trips of upto 20km in either direction on toll roads. Motorists will then be charged for each additional km after the initial 20km, so you pay for the exact distance travelled which will include National highways, permanent bridges, bypasses and for tunnels. The new GNSS device will use Automatic Number Plate recognition (ANPR) and the existing FASTag systems for collecting tolls which will be non-transferable and firmly fitted technology in vehicles to connect the GNSS for toll fee collection.
The vehicles entering this lane without a functioning device will be required to pay a fee which could be twice the standard user fee applicable at that particular toll plaza. This will help vehicles with designated lane for vehicles equipped with GNSS device for faster operation. As the adoption of GNSS based toll collection grows, all lanes are expected to gradually convert to GNSS-enabled ones.
How is this different from FASTag
The existing FASTag setup relies on physical toll booths for toll collection. The new GNSS tech will have virtual toll booths along the highways and have the ability to monitor vehicle location and distance covered exclusively for GNSS enabled vehicles. The vehicles with GNSS device will provide details like vehicle registration, vehicle type and bank account details of the user. This new GNSS setup will operate with the current FASTag system which means transition for users would be smooth and hassle free.
Advantages of the virtual toll system
The government aims to further reduce waiting times at toll booths that average currently at 714 seconds to a mere 47 seconds for each user, with the launch of GNSS based toll collection setup. This will reduce traffic congestion and allow steady flow of vehicles and also help in removal of physical toll booths and help user to pay only for the distance travelled.
