Drive up to 20 kilometres on national highways without paying toll. Here's how

Driving short distances on national highways will soon invite no toll even if there is a collection booth in that particular drive stretch. But there is a catch. As India gears up to introduce Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) that will replace the existing FASTag system, a notification from the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) informed that owners of private vehicles with a functional GNSS will be able to drive up to 20 kilometres on national highways without paying any toll.

The new notification, called National Highways Fee (Determination of Rates and Collection) Amendment Rules, 2024, toll fees will only be charged if the driving distance on national highways is more than 20 kilometres. MoRTH has amended the National Highways Fee (Determination of Rates and Collection) Rules, 2008.

This will be especially useful for anyone who makes use of a short stretch of a national highway, especially on a daily basis. "A driver, owner or person in charge of a mechanical vehicle other than a National Permit vehicle who makes use of the same section of the national highway, permanent bridge, bypass or tunnel, as the case may be, shall be levied a zero-user fee upto 20 kilometres of a journey in each direction in a day under Global Navigation Satellite System based user fee collection system," the notification said.

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari has time and again underlined the need for GNSS as a more effective toll-collection mechanism. He also previously informed that pilot study with regard to a GNSS-based user fee collection system has been done on the Bengaluru-Mysore section of NH-275 in Karnataka and Panipat-Hisar section of NH-709 in Haryana.

What is Global Navigation Satellite System?

Global Navigation Satellite System or GNSS will effectively bring an end to FASTags while also eliminating the need for toll plazas on national and state highways. While FASTags have gone a fair distance in bringing down time taken to complete a journey by eliminating the need for cash exchange at toll-collection centers, GNSS claims to further streamline the process as there would be no need to purchase a FASTag sticker and then validate it.

NHAI plans to implement the GNSS-based Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) system within the existing FASTag ecosystem, initially using a hybrid model where both RFID-based ETC (electronic toll collection) and GNSS-based ETC will operate simultaneously. Dedicated GNSS lanes will be available at toll plazas, allowing vehicles using the GNSS-based ETC to pass through freely. As GNSS based ETC becomes more widespread, all lanes will eventually be converted to GNSS lanes

But what is GNSS?

GNSS-enabled tags will transmit location and speed data of the relevant vehicle to a centralised system and this system will then calculate the toll based on the distance travelled and speed at which this distance was covered at. As the name itself suggests, the tag will make use of satellites for this purpose.

As a vehicle will pass a GNSS-enabled toll-collection point, the toll amount will be deducted automatically. This means that unlike at present where a vehicle has to either slow down or come to a complete halt for the FASTag to be scanned and then for the amount to be deducted, GNSS will further simplify the process of driving through toll-collection points.

Get insights into Upcoming Cars In India, Electric Vehicles, Upcoming Bikes in India and cutting-edge technology transforming the automotive landscape.