Fastag System To End Soon in India: GPS Toll Coming

[Nairrk]

FASTag, the system used for collecting tolls from vehicles, could be abolished as the central government is planning to roll out a new system for toll collection.

According to a report in The Statesman, the government will now use the satellite navigation system for collecting tolls, replacing the FASTag system. Quoting sources, the newspaper reported that the pilot project for the new system is already being executed across the country.

About 1.37 lakh vehicles have been covered across the country under this project.

Sources have confirmed to ABP LIVE that a pilot is in on but said the system may not be implemented very soon.

So, what’s new in the system?
For vehicles plying on national highways or expressways, tolls will now be deducted according to the number of kilometres the vehicle travels. The more kilometres the vehicle goes on the highway, the more toll will be charged.

This system is operational in European countries and it is quite successful in those countries, the report said. The government has decided to implement it in India replacing the existing FASTag method.

Currently, toll amount is paid for the distance from one toll centre to another toll centre. From now on, toll will be charged for the kilometre one travels. Now, travellers pay the whole amount of the toll. If someone’s journey is being completed somewhere in the middle before reaching the next toll station, still the individual has to pay the full amount. The new system will only charge money for the distance an individual has travelled. Under the new system, the tax calculation starts as soon as the vehicle enters the tolled road.

The toll system will be the same as that of FASTag.

However, before implementing the new process, it is needed to change the transport policy as well. So, transport experts from Russia and South Korea are preparing some necessary measures for the upcoming system. The report could be released in the next few weeks.
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[Nairrk]

New satellite-based toll collection system to start in the next three months: Nitin Gadkari

National highways in India will soon introduce satellite-based tolling systems, the Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari announced. The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) will begin implementing this new system by March 2024. This announcement was made by the Minister during a session in the Rajya Sabha, a TOI report stated.

India has recently informed the World Bank about its efforts to reduce waiting times at toll plazas and streamline export release processes at land ports. The introduction of FASTag has significantly reduced the average waiting time at toll plazas to just 47 seconds, a substantial improvement from the previous average of 714 seconds. In discussions with World Bank representatives, the government outlined its plans to further improve the country's infrastructure.

Between April and November of this fiscal year, the construction and expansion of National Highways have increased by approximately 10 per cent compared to the same period between 2011 and 2023. However, the allocation of new construction projects has decreased by 52 per cent this year.

Data from the road transport ministry shows that agencies within the ministry have completed or expanded 5,248 km of National Highways by November, compared to 4,766 km during the same period last year. However, with less than four months remaining in the financial year, achieving the government's target of constructing and expanding around 12,000 km of highways seems challenging.

The pace of bidding for new projects has also significantly slowed down this year. Between April and November of the previous year, agencies had bid for 5,382 km of work, while this year, the figure has only reached 2,815 km.

There are concerns about the delay in approving the revised Bharatmala Phase-1 program or alternate initiatives, which is affecting project bidding. This lack of project awards this year may impact the progress of construction in the fiscal year 2024-25.

The finance ministry has instructed the road ministry not to initiate new projects under Bharatmala without fresh Cabinet approval. This decision has affected the development of over 8,000 km of National Highway stretches under the government's flagship program.

Economic Times

 

[Nairrk]

We are ending toll': Nitin Gadkari on new toll system

The Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari today said that the government is ending toll and the new satellite based toll collection system will be introduced soon. "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," Nitin Gadkari told ANI

Discussing the Bharatmala Pariyojana, which aims to develop approximately 26,000 km of economic corridors, Nitin Gadkari emphasized their significance alongside the Golden Quadrilateral (GQ) and North-South and East-West (NS-EW) corridors in handling the bulk of freight traffic on roads. He expressed confidence that the project will revolutionize the nation's future by 2024. Gadkari articulated his ambition to elevate India's National Highway road network to the standard of America, expressing assurance in his ability to achieve this goal.

Earlier in December, Nitin Gadkari had announced that the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) aims to roll out this new system by March 2024. Efforts to streamline processes and reduce waiting times at toll plazas have been communicated to the World Bank. With the introduction of FASTag, the average waiting time at toll plazas has significantly decreased to just 47 seconds, marking a notable improvement from the previous average of 714 seconds.

Construction and expansion activities on National Highways have seen a rise of approximately 10 per cent between April and November of the current fiscal year compared to the same period from 2011 to 2023. However, the allocation of new construction projects has witnessed a decline of 52 per cent this year.

Economic Times

 

[Nairrk]

How will the new GPS based Toll System work? - A video explanation

Video credit: mint