FASTags:
Ministry for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari announced that the National Highway Authority of India will soon introduce satellite-based tolling systems.
The NHAI will soon implement this satellite-based toll collection system by March 2024. This announcement was made by Mr. Gadkari during a session in Rajya Sabha – TOI reported.
India has recently notified the World Bank about its striving to reduce efforts to reduce waiting times at toll plazas and streamline export release processes at land ports.
The average waiting time at toll plazas has been substantially reduced by introducing FASTags, Previously it was 714 seconds and now it is only 47 seconds.
In the meeting with World Bank representatives, the government delineated its plans to further improve the country’s infrastructure.
In the financial year 2023 between April and November, the expansion and construction of National Highways have increased by approximately 10% compared to the same period between 2011 and 2023.
Mileage-Based Billing Replaces Fixed Charging
As per Mr. Gadkari, the space-based solution will catch registration plate photographs automatically before matching against location-based barrier highway coordinates and pre-linked wallets for exact distance-based deductions.
This is distinct from the fixed FASTag charges that are present currently at entry and exit capped at around 98% adoption.
However, officials indicate the idea of linking satellites, highways, and vehicles is still being figured out by agencies like NHAI.
Revised rules and laws about how users are charged are still underway. These changes promise a tighter schedule than the tech stability suggests.
Gadkari also highlighted that two pilot projects entailing an automatic number plate recognition system had been conducted.
This project aims to expedite automated toll collection without halting vehicles to come to a complete stop. Also, this project aims to mitigate traffic congestion and establish a system where passenger vehicles are charged based on distance covered on highways.