[dass]

Bumping up a VERY old thread. Did not find any other relevant threads for the words "Electronic Toll Collection"

Government Launches 'FASTag' - the Electronic Toll Collection Program


More information can be found here.
http://auto.ndtv.com/news/government...ogramme-666119


I like this and hope for this to be implemented at the earliest.

[embee]

In a bid to cut down the travelling time on highways, the Government of India, yesterday, launched an electronic toll collection (ETC) programme. To be known as 'FASTag', it will allow people to pay their highway tolls electronically without needing to stop at the toll plazas.

"The unique number of the RFID Tag affixed on the wind shield of the vehicle will be read by the readers fitted in the dedicated 'ETC' lanes of plazas and appropriate amount as per the class of vehicle will be automatically deducted from the account of the user. The dedicated ETC lanes will have colour coding for distinct identity recognized as FASTag", the ministry said in a statement.

Web-link: http://auto.ndtv.com/news/government...ogramme-666119

[khoj]

This sure took it's time coming. I hope that the rollout is quick and smooth and that they are able to integrate all toll plazas in to the scheme of things, not just the Golden Quad. & the expressways alone.

[Jeroen]

Originally Posted by dass

Bumping up a VERY old thread. Did not find any other relevant threads for the words "Electronic Toll Collection"

Government Launches 'FASTag' - the Electronic Toll Collection Program


I like this and hope for this to be implemented at the earliest.

I don't think the concept is really new for India. A similar system was in place at the Gurgaon Toll untill recent. It never worked for no other reason that people without electronic tags were in the tag lane as well and had to stop to pay manually.

These modern systems are even better as you just speed along. there isn't even the need to slow down. Lots of countries have similar system deployed as well.

Jeroen

[rpunwani]

A welcome initiative for toll road users. This should definitely cut down queues at toll booths for regular users.

Only issue here is of misuse ?? People without FASTag RFID's trying to sneak past in the lane/s designated for FASTag. If heavy penalties are imposed and enforced properly I am sure it will work well.

[raksrules]

On the Mumbai-Pune expressway, I have seen the ETC Lane. But still people pay by cash there. Seems it was being readied and that is why manual collection is still in place in that lane.

[latentpotential]

Originally Posted by raksrules

On the Mumbai-Pune expressway, I have seen the ETC Lane. But still people pay by cash there. Seems it was being readied and that is why manual collection is still in place in that lane.

The ETC lane is still there at every Mumbai entry point toll naka. People got into the lane regardless and the concept of time saving went out for a toss.

Soon MEP discontinued the ETC and switched all us poor souls back to standard Dumb Card and Paper Stickers.

[sandeepmohan]

I can't wait for this to get rolled out. I limit highway runs with my car if the road I am to use involves tolls. Not because of the cost, the agonizing wait. No lane discipline too. Those long queues are no longer limited to long weekends. Its there every day. The worst I faced was two hours in total, waiting at toll booths on a 500km drive.

With regard to folks without the electronic tag landing up in the wrong lane, they are asked to turn around and head to the correct lane for the E City flyover. Regular users can confirm if this is the case. I made this mistake which is how I know.

[sandeep108]

The Mumbai Sea link now has a better system. When a RFID e-toll car enters the fast/tag lane, there is a big LED readout which displays the car number. The guy sees and matches this with the actual car number and if there is any discrepancy, the car is forced to wait and merge into the next lane.

The regular RFID car is allowed to zip through. Over a period of time, this has now stopped non RFID cars from even entering the e-toll lane and as a result the e-toll RFID cars just breeze past the long queues.

However, the Sea link fellows have some absurd system (last I checked) that the RFID is on monthly basis. Therefore sporadic users (like me) cannot afford to bother with the RFID tag. They need to make this easier for everybody - say a pre-paid RFID of Rs. 500/- with no time limit and this can be refilled online once balance becomes low.

[rpunwani]

I understand that the intention of FASTag is that you load the RFID card for a certain value, say Rs. 1,000/- without any expiry or time limit. On using the toll road, the toll amount gets automatically deducted. Users should ensure that there is adequate balance before heading to a toll.

Regarding frequent users, the system would have to be tweaked to take care. Eg. for daily & frequent users of the Sea Link, max chargeable would be equal to the monthly fee.

[vnabhi]

Good move indeed. Waiting for it to become a pan-India facility. I hope it works as seamlessly as the 'E-Z Pass' system in Eastern US.

Instead of having pre-paid amounts, there should also be a system of linking one's credit card to it, so that one is not caught unawares when the balance is low.

[tilt]

In the Greater Toronto Area in Canada, there is a toll road. There are no toll booths at all. There are gantries at each on- and off-ramp that take a picture of the vehicle's licence-plate and mail you a bill. If the bill stays unpaid, you cannot renew your registration or driver's licence or you will be pulled over by a cop the next time you are on the road.

Regular travellers can rent a transponder linked to the vehicle licence-plate and VIN (meaning one cannot share a transponder between multiple vehicles) at a low monthly rate ($2 or $3).

The difference between having and not having a transponder is that there will be no video fee charged.

The video fee is charged at $6.50 (13% GST) per trip for the "cost" of taking a picture of your licence plate when you don't have a transponder.

The entry and exit gantries will denote the distance travelled on the road and the charges will be billed accordingly, and you pay the bill online.

No toll-booths, no long lines, no slowing down, no cutting lines by morons, no delays, just a nice fast, albeit expensive (it is Canada after all) drive.

Cheers

My apologies for double-postying, for some reason editing my post refused to save my edits, hence the double post:

For those "smart" people who obscure their licence plates on purpose to make it difficult for the cameras to read the plate, after the second occurrence you will be pulled over by a cop and fined heavily and made to pay the toll and video charges for the entire length of the toll road, plus you get points on your licence, meaning, your insurance goes up for the next seven years.

Mod Note: Please use the EDIT or MULTI-QUOTE buttons instead of typing one post after another on the SAME THREAD!

To know how to multi-quote, click here.

[kalpeshc]

Along with the RFID option, there should also be a pre-pay toll option for a single roundtrip. If I want to do a Mumbai-Pune trip over the weekend, I'll just pre-pay the toll for the roundtrip at the first toll and be allowed to go through the ETC lanes by just showing this or scanning the pre-paid card that I have bought.

[MotoNanu]

This has been pending for long, though I agree that people must not merge into the ETC line if they are not eligible, else it will create chaos.
Here in Korea, these guys have a system called Hi~Pass. It requires you to have a OBU (On Board Unit) and a Hi~Pass card. The card can be pre-loaded with amount. There is a separate lane which is marked with blue paint and is dedicated to Hi~Pass. You need to drive at max 30 kmph while crossing the toll and the reader shall read and deduct the toll. The toll is also displayed on a LED screen.
What is more convenient is you can also ask the bak to configure your credit card to be linked to Hi~Pass card in which case it is very convenient. Also, you get minimum of 5% discount on using Hi~Pass. The discount can sometimes go up to 50% depending on your route and time of travel. It is a pure bliss to use this system.
The OBU is available widely across department stores, gas stations, highway offices and the recharge is also possible to be done online apart from these places.

[forester]

What happens in case of cars manufactured after October 2013, wherein it has become mandatory to equip them with an RFID tag on the front windscreen? Shouldn't these already existing tags and codes on these newer cars be used and linked with the accounts instead of putting up entirely new tags from the banks?