New Delhi2 days ago
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Toll tax collection has started in the country through GPS. The Indian Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has announced the launch of Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) based toll collection system. This system charges toll on the country’s national highways and expressways on a ‘pay as you use’ basis.
According to the new rule of the ministry, GNSS-equipped private vehicles will not be charged for travelling up to 20 km on national highways every day. After this, the toll will be charged for the longer distance travelled.
For now, fast tag will continue The testing phase of this new system has been completed and its trial has also been started on Haryana’s Panipat-Hisar National Highway 709. Only those vehicles will benefit from this, which are equipped with GNSS.
Their number is less right now, so this system will work on hybrid mode for now. That is, toll tax collection will continue through cash, fastag and automatic number plate recognition.
You will have to pay only the charges based on the number of kilometres you travel The GNSS based toll system collects data of toll name, location and distance travelled. This enables a dynamic toll charging system. This means that you only have to pay for the number of kilometres you have travelled while driving on the highway.
Currently, toll is charged manually, which means you end up paying charges for a few extra kilometres that you haven’t travelled. The GNSS system will measure how far you have travelled and charge you accordingly.
How will toll tax be charged? A separate lane will be made for GNSS equipped vehicles at the toll plaza. Like Fastag, as soon as the vehicle passes the onboard unit, this unit will send a signal to process charges which will be handled by the fintech company. If a non-GNSS vehicle enters these lanes, double the toll tax will be charged from it.
At present, toll tax is collected through Fastag in the country At present, toll tax is collected in the form of Fastag and cash at toll booths in the country. Fastag is a type of tag or sticker. It is installed on the windscreen of the vehicle. Fastag works on Radio Frequency Identification or RFID technology.
Through this technology, the cameras installed at the toll plaza scan the bar code of the sticker and the toll fee is automatically deducted from the Fastag wallet. With the use of Fastag, the driver does not have to stop to pay the toll tax. It is used to reduce the time spent at the toll plaza and make the journey smooth.
Fastag sticker is valid for 5 years Once purchased, the Fastag sticker is valid for 5 years. That means after 5 years you have to replace the sticker or extend its validity.
