Satellite-based toll collection to pilot on Bengaluru Mysuru Expressway 

The Union government has decided to implement as a pilot project of the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS)-based barrierless free-flow tolling on the access-controlled 10-lane Mysuru-Bengaluru Expressway (Highway).

The Union government has decided to implement as a pilot project of the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) based barrier less free flow tolling on access-Controlled 10-lane Mysuru-Bengaluru Expressway (Highway).

In a reply to a question by Rajya Sabha member Lahar Singh Siroya recently, Nitin Gadkari, Transport Minister, stated that it has been decided to conduct pilots of satellite-based toll collection on roads including Bengaluru-Mysuru NH-275 in Karnataka.

“The government has appointed a consultant to provide advisory services on the implementation of new technologies like GNSS based barrier-less free-flow tolling. GNSS has the capacity to retrieve the positioning of the vehicle on the National Highway and calculate the user fee based on the distance travelled,” Mr. Gadkari said.

On February 7, Mr. Gadkari told the Rajya Sabha that the technology, which has been under the government’s consideration for over three years, will allow barrier-free movement of cars, which will not be required to stop for toll payments.

He explained that the photo of the registration plate of the vehicle will be captured and the toll amount will be debited based on the actual length of the highway traversed by the vehicle. This will replace the radio frequency identification-based Fastags that were rolled out in 2016 and made mandatory from January 2021. A total of 8.13 crore Fastags have since been issued, and a penetration of 98% has been achieved, according to the Minister.