Zip Zoom Zap through Indian Toll Plazas

            The major irritation on India’s Expressways is the waiting time at the numerous toll gates dotting the India’s Expressways.

            The waiting time translates into higher fuel bill for the automobiles travelling on the expressways. Individually the loss will be less, but when added for the whole number of vehicles waiting the Toll Plazas, the number runs into crores.

            Abroad the concept of RFID Tags for Toll Plaza collection is common. A similar concept has been introduced in India too.

            The CashLess option works on RFID-based smart tags — Fastags — for cashless transaction at toll plazas.

Vehicles fitted with the inter-operable tags don't need to wait in queue at plazas. In India the technology was first launched in April 2012 on the 10-km Himalayan Expressway,

On October 31^st 2014, Road transport minister Nitin  Gadkari inaugurated the ETC on the Delhi-Mumbai stretch of NH-8 on Friday. This is the longest stretch where ETC is being implemented in a big scale.

Mumbaikars can experience the benefits of CashLess Toll collections on the Bandra Worli Sea Link.

The ETC system will work on Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology, with a tag called FASTag plastered on the vehicle which will contain the unique identification number associated with the vehicle.

A separate lane, called FASTag lane, equipped with sensors is being designed on all toll plazas by the respective concessionaires. Users of the tag, once enrolled in the system, will have an online account which they can charge in advance.

When they pass the toll plaza, the tag will be read by the sensors without the vehicle needing to stop.

The sensors will then transmit the unique vehicle code to the central servers of the bank that issued the FASTag.

The appropriate toll charge would be deducted from the user’s online account. In order to prevent theft of the tag, it has been designed in a manner such that, once attached to the vehicle, it will suffer damage and be rendered unusable if removed.

The customers can get Fastags recharged online and can also get instant alerts about usage and balance amount.

There would be a challenge to ensure that Non-tagged vehicles do not enter the Tag Lanes.

In this regard, the road transport ministry will soon notify penalty of charging two-times toll from vehicles that enter tag lanes without Fastag. This is necessary to ensure that vehicles fitted with tags don't get caught behind non-tag vehicles.

The major benefits of CashLess Toll Plaza Collections are:

·         Plug revenue leakages from toll collection

·         Track vehicles in case of criminal incidences.

·         The real time data on traffic movement on highways will help government to prepare road development plans.

·         The road side vendors will see a spurt in their income, as the motorists would now spend more time at their shops, rather than at the toll plazas