India is set to replace its current highway toll plazas with GPS-based toll-collecting systems as early as April of this year. Union Minister Nitin Gadkari declared that the government has hired a consultant to manage the installation of a GPS-based toll-collecting system on national highways.
“The government is considering innovative technologies to replace the country’s toll plazas, including GPS-based toll systems. In six months, we’ll introduce new technologies,” he declared.
What Is The Toll-Collecting System Based On GPS, And How Will It Operate?
Presently, FASTag is used for toll payments on most Indian roads. RFID-enabled barriers at toll plazas read the FASTag IDs attached to cars and charge according to the distance between two toll plazas.
All cars required to pay tolls on highways in 2021 have to have FASTags. Penalties for vehicles without FASTags can be twice the toll amount.
The new GPS-based toll collecting system’s automatic number plate identification feature will employ cameras positioned along highways to identify the license plate while an automobile is moving. A GPS-based toll-collecting system examines a moving vehicle’s GPS coordinates.
Number plates will be connected to accounts, and tolls will be applied based on how far the car travels.
What Is The Purpose Of Introducing The GPS-Based Toll-Collecting System?
Since the FASTag system needs cars to wait at toll plazas for scanning, the GPS-based toll collection system was used to shorten lines at toll plazas.
This remains true even if FASTags was able to cut the average wait time at toll plazas from eight minutes in 2018–19 to 47 seconds. Cars using GPS-based toll-collecting systems don’t even need to stop since cameras detect license plates while the vehicle is moving.
Additionally, vehicles would be charged according to the specific distance driven on the roadways. Additionally, drivers no longer have to worry about carrying cash, waiting for extra cash, or keeping an eye on the amount of their FASTag account when driving.
The toll is automatically taken out of the associated account via a safe electronic payment method. This removes the possibility of toll evasion in addition to the risk of human error.
