India to Roll Out Barrier-Free Toll System Across the Nation in a Year
India to Roll Out Barrier-Free Toll System Across the Nation in a Year
Government to replace toll plazas with barrier-free electronic tolling via NETC and FASTag, aiming for seamless travel on highways within 12 months.
New Delhi is set to witness a major shift in how tolls are collected on national highways. Union Minister Nitin Gadkari announced that the current toll system will end within a year, replaced by an electronic, barrier-free model designed to ensure a seamless driving experience for motorists. The new system has already been rolled out at 10 locations and will be extended nationwide within 12 months, according to the minister’s remarks in the Lok Sabha. The move aims to eliminate stoppages and reduce congestion at toll plazas as part of a broader push to streamline toll operations.
Central to the plan is the National Electronic Toll Collection programme, a unified and interoperable platform for electronic toll payments. At the core of NETC is FASTag, a radio frequency identification device attached to a vehicle’s windscreen that enables automatic toll payments from the user’s linked account without stopping at plazas. In addition to this, the government intends to explore innovative methods for user-fee collection to further cut delays and improve overall highway travel experience.
The government has also unveiled support for high-priority infrastructure, including 4,500 highway projects valued at about ₹10 lakh crore currently under development. To further optimize throughput, the initiative will incorporate Multi-Lane Free Flow Electronic Toll Collection, which enables barrier-less tolling through integrated technologies such as Automatic Number Plate Recognition with AI analytics and RFID-based electronic toll collection. The goal is a smoother, faster tolling experience that keeps traffic flowing and reduces the time motorists spend at toll points.
If the rollout proceeds as planned, drivers can expect a nationwide shift to a largely frictionless tolling system that leverages advanced detection and payment technologies to minimize delays and improve highway efficiency.
Cover image source: New barrier-less highway toll collection system across India within one year: Union Minister Gadkari 🔗
