BENGALURU : In the early months of this year, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) will be introducing GPS-based toll collection in stretches across India, including the Bengaluru-Mysuru access-controlled highway. It has taken up a study to explore its feasibility and is working on developing software and necessary technology for toll collection, that includes geo-fencing the desired highway.
This new system is aimed at reducing congestion at toll booths by completely eliminating physical toll booths across the country in the future, and preventing vehicle owners from paying unnecessary toll fee. Some vehicle users have welcomed the idea of levying toll based on exactly the distance they travel, while others have raised privacy issues with this method, as it tracks the vehicle’s exact location.
“I regularly travel out of the city to my hometown in Tamil Nadu and other tourist spots across the state and South India. During weekends and festivals, we find vehicles lined up bumper-to-bumper for a few kilometres at toll booths. I have been stuck in such traffic at toll booths for hours. The new system promises to eliminate physical toll payment on highways, so I am in favour of it,” said Guru Arjun, a stock trader.
He gives his full support to GPS-based toll collection as it prevents him from paying for the entire stretch of the highway and charges only for the distance travelled.
Techie Rohan Parvatiyar accepts that the new system will save cost and is effective as many people only travel halfway on a particular highway, yet have to pay for the complete trip. It is fine for casual trips, but for the daily user, it will be a big relief, but he raised the issue of privacy.
“Most vehicles nowadays already have GPS installed in their vehicle, so we are accustomed to this on a personal basis of use and interaction. But use of GPS-based data should be restricted to only enabled highways and not at all times,” he said.
K Radhakrishna Holla, president of Karnataka State Travel Operators’ Association, welcomed the idea of introducing toll collection through GPS-based system by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, and said this will eliminate physical tolls across India.
“National Highways Authority of India is gearing up to introduce the new system on the Bengaluru-Mysuru access-controlled highway. We welcome such upgradation that will gradually be introduced on other highways across the country. Vehicles need not line up at toll booths. They can pay exactly for the distance they travel,” Holla said.
He also said that when the government is collecting toll without pilferage, it exempts small vehicles like those less than 5 metres in length from the toll net. However, he said the new system will be beneficial for highway users and is not of much use on access-controlled highways and expressways as they have limited entry and exit points.
Explaining why it would not be that helpful, Holla said, “Unlike our regular highways, on expressways and access-controlled highways, vehicles do not have many entry and exit points. The exit points are given at approximately 50-60 km from the entry point, and the vehicle user may not get a chance to exit the road, and has to travel the entire distance by paying the toll, which is a disadvantage. It will be of no use to villagers.”
While the current system of collecting toll using FASTag has helped reduce waiting time from many minutes to a few seconds at toll booths, and collection has increased by nearly 300 per cent after the introduction of FASTag, the new system will be the future where vehicles can travel without any physical tolls and everything is tracked online using GPS fencing and Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras that will be linked to FASTag, that will track the vehicle’s number plate and calculate the toll exactly to the point of travel, he said.
Sharing an example, Holla said, “Every day, thousands of vehicles head towards Kempegowda International Airport. For a single journey, Rs 110 is collected as toll. However, vehicles use only 22.5km of the approximately 60km stretch. Why should we pay for the whole stretch when we use only 22.5km? There are many such stretches where vehicle users are paying for the entire stretch and the new system will be beneficial in avoiding paying unnecessary tolls.”
“Toll booths are common but many developed countries are moving to automatic vehicle recognition when they pass an electronic gantry. Vehicles have something like FASTag, but in such systems, vehicles don’t have to stop at a toll booth or even slow down. This greatly improves throughput. Roads don’t have to be widened like they typically are at toll booths,” said urban mobility expert Shreya Gadepalli.
She said GPS-based system is even better and is being tested in Singapore. “GPS eliminates the need for expensive electronic gantries or toll booths. Vehicles also benefit by having to pay only for the length of the road they use, rather than a flat fee to cross an electronic gantry or toll booth.”
Shreya suggested that to reduce congestion in the city, the same technology be used where motorists will pay a fee only for sections of roads that are congested, rather than being charged a flat fee for using a high-demand road or for entering the congestion-prone core of a city.
A top official from NHAI said, “We have five stretches where we are planning to introduce GPS-based toll collection on a pilot basis. The software is under development and we will soon be starting the pilot. Based on the response to the new technology and also how road users receive it, we will be implementing it on other stretches in a phased manner.”
How does it work?
Vehicles need not line up in the queue at toll booths and wait for money to be deducted from their FASTag accounts. In this system, geo-fencing of highways is done and the vehicle’s entry and exit into highways is calculated using the Global Positioning System (GPS) device fitted into the vehicle.
The software, which is under development, will trigger a response when a vehicle enters or exits a particular area, and the vehicle need not halt at toll plazas.
As per the current proposal, vehicles need to have GPS devices. While new vehicles come fitted with GPS devices, old vehicles have to install them. However, Union Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari has been stating that NHAI is also exploring the option of tracking the vehicle’s entry and exit using Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras, which doesn’t require GPS devices in vehicles, and toll is collected on the go.
Highlights
NHAI will introduce GPS-based toll collection in stretches across India
NHAI has taken up a study to explore the feasibility of introducing it on five stretches, including the Bengaluru-Mysuru access-controlled highway
Govt is working on developing software and necessary technology for toll collection that includes geo-fencing the desired highway
It is expected to be rolled out in the early half of this year, and based on response, will be implemented on other highways across India