No decision yet on nationwide rollout of satellite-based tolling from May 1: MoRTH

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) on Friday clarified that no decision has been taken on the nationwide implementation of satellite-based tolling from May 1.

The ministry’s response came after some sections of the media reported that a satellite-based tolling system would be launched from May 1 and will replace the existing FASTag-based toll collection system.

In a statement, the ministry said to enable seamless, barrier-free movement of vehicles through toll plazas and reduce travel time, an ‘Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR)-FASTag-based barrier-less tolling system’ will be implemented at selected toll plazas.

According to the statement, the advanced tolling system will combine ANPR technology, which will identify vehicles by reading their number plates, and the existing ‘FASTag system’ that uses Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) for toll deduction.

Under this, vehicles will be charged based on their identification through high performance ANPR cameras and FASTag readers, without needing to stop at the toll plazas.

In case of non-compliance, e-notices will be served to the violators, non-payment of which may result in suspension of FASTag and other VAHAN related penalties.