Nitin Gadkari Announced GPS-based Toll System To Replace Current FASTag Toll Payment System

Nitin Gadkari Announced GPS-based Toll System To Replace Current FASTag Toll Payment System: The Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, announced Wednesday that a satellite collection system will replace India's existing toll system.

In Gadkari's view, people will be charged for the distance traveled based on the amount deducted from their accounts.

The new system will be implemented by March 2024, according to Gadkari's announcement last December.

"Now we are ending toll and there will be a satellite base toll collection system. Money will be deducted from your bank account and the amount of road you cover will be charged accordingly. Through this time and money can be saved. Earlier, it used to take 9 hours to travel from Mumbai to Pune, now it is reduced to 2 hours..." Union Minister, Nitin Gadkari, recently said in an interview with a new agency

On Indian highways, toll payment is primarily conducted through FASTag. RFID-enabled barriers at toll plazas scan the FASTag IDs affixed to vehicles and charge based on the distance between toll plazas. Since 2021, vehicles using highways will be charged twice for non-compliance with FASTags.

The new GPS-based toll collection system will be able to recognize vehicles' number plates automatically by installing cameras along the highways that detect vehicle number plates while in motion. Unlike the current system, which relies on RFID scanning at toll plazas, the GPS-based system matches the GPS coordinates of moving vehicles. Using vehicle number plates to link accounts to tolls, the distance traveled will be deducted automatically.

The primary objective of FASTag is to reduce congestion at toll plazas, where vehicles have to queue for scanning under the existing system.

What is the FASTag system?

Tolls are currently deducted at plazas using the FASTag system. By February 2021, all four-wheelers will be required to use FASTags. They contain a small RFID chip that wirelessly communicates with toll booth readers to pay tolls. Using radio frequency identification (RFID) technology, toll booth readers detect FASTag-equipped vehicles when approaching a toll booth, emitting a unique 13-digit ID code. The code is linked to the vehicle owner's prepaid account, allowing toll charges to be deducted automatically.

FASTags reduced waiting times at toll plazas from 8 minutes to 47 seconds during 2018-19.

The amount payable for tolling in India is determined by the length of the stretch, which is normally 60 kilometers. If the stretch is less than 60 kilometers, the user fee is determined by the actual distance.

It is determined by the length of the stretch under that plaza, the width of the highway, and the structures (bridge, tunnel, bypass) that determine the fee for a particular plaza, according to the applicable fee rules and provisions of the concessions agreement. When determining a vehicle's size, its weight and size are also taken into consideration.

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