Government of India has approved the satellite based toll system. Currently, the driver of a car or other vehicle has to stop at the gate built on the toll plaza and toll payment is made after FASTag scanning, after which the gate opens. In the satellite based toll system, there will be no need to stop anywhere. Let us know about it in detail.
New toll collection system: Is it time to say goodbye to FASTag? Now you will not have to stop at any toll gate etc. to pay Toll Tax, because now there will be a new Satellite based system. The central government has approved the GPS based toll system. However, initially you will get the option of both, which will include both FASTag and satellite system.
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways on Tuesday amended the National Highway Fees (Determination and Collection of Rates) Rules, 2008. It includes electronic toll collection with the help of satellite-based system.
What is satellite based toll collection system?
For satellite based toll collection system, the car or other vehicle driver will not need to stop at any toll plaza. The money will be deducted automatically from the system installed in the car. However, there are no details about whether the FASTag system will be discontinued or not.
It will be much faster than FASTag
Regarding this, the Union Minister has already said that the satellite based toll collection system will be much faster than FASTag. After the arrival of the satellite based toll system, many questions are also coming up whether the FASTag system will be abolished or both the systems will continue to work.
What is the 20 km rule?
The notification states that if a car or any other vehicle travels on a highway, expressway, tunnel or bridge, toll tax is applicable on it, then a journey of 20 km will be free. If the journey is more than 20 km, then money will be charged as per the prescribed rules.
FASTag works on RFID tags
The current FASTag system works on RFID tags, which is an automatic toll collection system. This tag is connected to an account, which is provided by the bank. In this, the users have to keep some balance on their side, as soon as they cross the toll barrier, those rupees are deducted from the FASTag account.
There is a rule of charging double toll in this too
If FASTag gets blocked or does not work, then double toll tax has to be paid in the form of cash payment at the toll plaza. A similar rule is also there in the satellite based toll collection system. There will be a separate lane for this, if a vehicle without GPS comes in it, then double toll will be charged from it.