[Aditya]

The transport ministry has received a proposal under which, private vehicles and buses will be exempted from paying toll on highways within their districts. The proposal aims to reduce the congestion on highways at toll booths. However, if private vehicles and buses are indeed exempted from paying toll, commercial vehicles commercial vehicles will have to pay more to cover the loss.

At present, personal vehicles account for 14% of the total toll collection even though they comprise half of the total traffic on highways. According to the road ministry, in 2013, Rs. 1,600 crore of the total toll collection of Rs. 11,400 crore came from private vehicles.

The government had shut down 61 toll plazas which had become unviable or recovered the cost completely. Other attempts to reduce congestion include the introduction of electronic toll collection (ETC) across all highways in the country by the end of this financial year. A study reveals that the removal of toll plazas along with a pan-India electronic toll collection system on the national highways is likely to save India Rs. 88,000 crore.

Source: ET Auto

[Dry Ice]

Originally Posted by Aditya

... private vehicles and buses will be exempted from paying toll on highways within their districts.

Wasn't this always the case? I have never seen local vehicles paying any toll anywhere except maybe on expressways like Himalayan or Yamuna. I don't see what is different in this proposal.

[Lalvaz]

Originally Posted by Dry Ice

Wasn't this always the case? I have never seen local vehicles paying any toll anywhere except maybe on expressways like Himalayan or Yamuna. I don't see what is different in this proposal.

No, we in Bombay pay it even within the locality. The toll nakas are not even spaced apart as defined by NHAI, they have multiple toll nakas in 6-7 kms and we just keep paying more and more money. Blatantly illegal, but nevertheless in existence.

[Prafful_Rathod]

Originally Posted by Dry Ice

Wasn't this always the case? I have never seen local vehicles paying any toll anywhere except maybe on expressways like Himalayan or Yamuna. I don't see what is different in this proposal.

I have never crossed any toll naka exempt from paying, in Mumbai or Gujarat atleast, irrespective of whether the vehicle is locally registered or otherwise.

[Vigkey]

Originally Posted by Aditya

The transport has received a proposal under which, private vehicles and buses will be exempted from paying toll on highways within their districts.

Aditya, I guess the "within their districts" needs to be added to the Title of the thread - it is very misleading when we see it from outside.

Originally Posted by Dry Ice

Wasn't this always the case? I have never seen local vehicles paying any toll anywhere except maybe on expressways like Himalayan or Yamuna. I don't see what is different in this proposal.

No Sir. I dont think it is the case everywhere. Not at least in the routes I have traveled.

I can remember of only one toll which had a similar rule - Thirumangalam toll in Madurai district. Here, vehicles registered with Madirai and Tenkasi RTOs (and may be some other nearby RTOs also) did not need to pay toll - but that was revoked earlier this year. Now everyone needs to pay the toll. The exemption in between was due to a court stay in favor of a case filed by some businessmen who HAD to cross the tollbooth while travelling from Thirumangalam to Madurai and used the freeway for less than 5 kms but had to pay the toll. However, as the case ended, the judgement was in favor of the state and now everybody has to pay the toll. As an alternative, if I am informed correctly, the court proposed to shift the toll-booth by a few kilometers so that people travelling to Madurai from Thirumangalam and vice-versa will not be affected. Not sure if state will agree to this proposal though.

[etrast75]

Originally Posted by Aditya

The transport has received a proposal under which, private vehicles and buses will be exempted from paying toll on highways within their districts.

Oh please.. this just posturing by the govt to make the public believe that they are doing something.. The whole district thing is just a loophole to say we eliminated the toll when in fact the people who benefit from it are minuscule.
Take for Example, Bangalore. There are toll plazas on the way out in Attibele, Devanahalli, Neelamangala, Hoskote etc. None of these locations fall under the bangalore urban district where most of the city of bangalore lies. Even if this proposal is implemented (which I doubt will be), it will only benefit a very small percentage of people.
The whole tolling has got way out of hand. Double whammy for all private vehicle owners. Pay road tax and then pay toll also with no timeframe on when tolling will end. They will just convert the 4 to 6 lane and extend the concession period for another 15 years.
Used to pay 200 for a trip from bangalore-coimbatore in 2009. Now I pay close to 400 for the same trip.

[avisidhu]

Originally Posted by Dry Ice

Wasn't this always the case? I have never seen local vehicles paying any toll anywhere except maybe on expressways like Himalayan or Yamuna. I don't see what is different in this proposal.

Yes true. Although it may vary across states, but at least in Punjab local vehicles do not pay any toll.

Some collection mechanism like e-toll should not be unwelcome. And rather than completely doing away, a minimal toll can be collected so that whatever highways have been built remain in good condition. Sadly that requires a two way trust between the agencies and toll paying public, which is currently non existent.

[gpa]

Last year when I was returning from the Bangalore airport in the wee hours of the morning, the toll plaza guy told my taxi driver that the toll was increased from INR 30 to INR 115. I was out of Bangalore for a while and was a tad surprised at this and so proceeded to clarify this with the guy at the booth, who told me he can let the taxi pass through if we paid him INR 50 and didn't ask for a receipt. I refused and paid the INR 115 and passed through.

This is a welcome move and will be great if its implemented. What remains to be seen are the ramifications of such a move apart from the saving of Rs.88,000 Cr as a lot of agents/middle men involved in the collection of toll pocket a tidy amount every day.

[Dry Ice]

Originally Posted by Lalvaz

No, we in Bombay pay it even within the locality. The toll nakas are not even spaced apart as defined by NHAI, they have multiple toll nakas in 6-7 kms and we just keep paying more and more money. Blatantly illegal, but nevertheless in existence.

Originally Posted by Prafful_Rathod

I have never crossed any toll naka exempt from paying, in Mumbai or Gujarat atleast, irrespective of whether the vehicle is locally registered or otherwise.

Originally Posted by Vigkey

No Sir. I dont think it is the case everywhere. Not at least in the routes I have traveled.

Maybe I should not have added the 'anywhere' in my post earlier.

I have seen this 'exempt local vehicles' for many years now in UP/UK/PB/RJ/HR. If you check the NHAI toll collection notifications, it already specifies a different category for 'local vehicles'. Depending on the toll booth, these are either exempt or pay a nominal monthly fee.

[ramzsys]

It is an irony that the proposals are hardly justifying the actual aim. Aren't these 'exempted' vehicles not going to degrade the tarmac or what?

In the Thoppur toll gate, i have seen one lane being kept exclusively for 'smart card' vehicles. There won't be any operators in that booth-automatic operation.

Private passenger buses and STC buses use it and skip the queue. There will be a guard with a cone permitting only these regular buses.

[i74js]

In our country there is mafia everywhere
- Parking mafia
- PUC (pollution) mafia
- Toll mafia: they work on annuity model and thus keep on extending the duration of toll irrespective of the increase of traffic density on toll roads
- Traffic police (at times); I am amazed as well as amused the way they play hide and seek on roads to make money both from commercial vehicles and private vehicles of other states
- Interstate tax (commercial vehicles) mafia: they have agents at border to issue interstate tax receipts which will charge between Rs 50 -70 over and above the receipt value, these are mostly internet cafes at the borders where you can pay the tax online, it has been created for ease but has become an established way of fleecing customers using taxies in many states.

I doubt if we are going to get out of mafia raj anytime soon. It is very difficult to have proper management of transport infrastructure in the country, its a state subject and thus they behave in a manner which suits them.

Sad state of affairs and very little has been done till date.

[MHG]

Dunno if the government has thought about this, but toll plazas that have been shut down can be reused as police check posts and mini marketplaces right ?

[condor]

etrast75 : .. this just posturing by the govt to make the public believe that they are doing something.. The whole district thing is just a loophole to say we eliminated the toll when in fact the people who benefit from it are minuscule.
Take for Example, Bangalore. ..

Not necessarily so. Bangalore is one of the exceptions ..

There are already some exceptions provided for local people. People around the vicinity of a toll can get an ID card from the concerned authority and get exemption for that toll. The concept in this thread would extend this to the district level. If implemented.

[Sheel]

This has been in practice at my place, but for that, locals had to fight for it. BR-11 registered vehicles [private] do no longer pay tolls at the two tolls in Purnia district.

Good to see it, coming in force.