If you often travel on highways, you might be familiar with the long queues at toll booths. Now, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari has announced that the government is considering issuing monthly
and annual passes for private vehicles to replace traditional toll collection on national highways. Currently, private vehicles contribute only 26% to the total toll revenue.
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New Toll Collection Booths Outside Villages
In a recent address, Gadkari explained that toll collection booths would be moved outside villages to avoid inconveniences for villagers.
He pointed out that commercial vehicles make up 74% of the toll revenue, so introducing passes for private vehicles will not affect the government’s income.
GNSS-Based Toll System
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways plans to introduce a new Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS)-based toll collection system, in addition to the current FASTag system on national highways.
This new system will improve toll collection and reduce waiting times. Last year, Gadkari mentioned a pilot stud
Improved Toll Collection System with GNSS
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways is also working on a new, seamless toll collection system using Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) technology, which will work alongside the existing FASTag system.
This new method is expected to improve the toll collection process, making it faster and more efficient. A pilot project of this system was tested on the Bengaluru-Mysuru and Panipat-Hisar sections of national highways.
Reducing Waiting Time at Toll Plazas
The initiative aims to reduce traffic jams and ensure that toll charges are based on the distance traveled.
The average waiting time at toll booths was 8 minutes in 2018-19, but after the introduction of FASTag in 2020-21, waiting times decreased to just 47 seconds.
However, during peak hours, there are still some delays, especially near densely populated areas.