[pandabear]

Originally Posted by shamanth

I guess this was coming, they jumped into Fastag RFID without verifying other technologies available across the world.

Then NHAI and transport minster suddenly realize, this is redundant technology, where toll booth wait time never reduced even with fastag. Now exploring newer technology, they should have done this homework earlier and got better technology in 1st go.

Pretty unfair as I do think that wait times have reduced considerably at all toll booths since FasTAG has been made mandatory. On top of that I guess our current roadways ministry has upped the game so much so I would still like to give them the benefit of doubt.

Implementation and execution is never easy as it involves not only NHAI but also a large number of subcontractors who resist the idea of centralised cashless collection and only try to deal in cash for obvious reasons.

Newer technologies have their own share of niggles and I guess RFID is one of the more proven solutions to implement and I am sure guys have done their homework.

Just takes time and lots of patience in our country.

[VJ05]

Seems like a very tall claim. The key message for me from Gadkari's statement is '1 year', I'm 99.99% sure that it won't be possible to implement such a technology (if it exists) in a year in a country like ours. However, if the miracle does happen then I'm sure the implementation would be chaotic just like many other Government schemes have been in the last 6-7 years. All the Best !!

[SideView]

Cmon, what the h*ll is going on?
Everyone other day some tall claim. “This” in one year, “That” in one year, deadlines, fines and what not.

Who gets stuck in between all this? We the commoners. Everyone is just warming up to the idea of fasttag and here is another bombshell.

I am all for technology, but hope/wish that it is implemented hassle free way. ( who am i kidding)

[fhdowntheline]

I am reminded of the dialogue from Jurassic Park where Ian Malcolm says you are using the new found( genetic) technology like how a kid discovers and plays with his fathers gun.

This is pretty much true of all things happening in the country these days.

[Hayek]

Originally Posted by Desi Dybuk

After a bit of calibration, there were not much issues with the tags being read. And to this day, it works flawlessly. What we learnt that there was an art to calibration of the reader & the placement.

Heck, if you go to Dubai, their Salek system is also an NFC tag & it works flawlessly!

The reason there are lines & issues at our toll booths are because they are mounted haphazardly

Very well said. Actually, given the nature of the companies who run our toll roads, I would not be surprised if the poor placement and creation of obstacles to Fastag roll out is deliberate - to try and ensure that they have the ability continue cash collections (which were a massive money laundering machine). As anyone who used the Sealink with ETC would attest, it worked flawlessly - because the tag was issued by the Road Operator who benefited from the float on tag balances - and hence had an incentive to get people to take the tag. The process for issuing a tag was also super smooth - shows that it can be done with the right incentive. At present, toll road operators have implemented Fastag reluctantly and hence are making life miserable for road users. We don’t need a GPS boondoggle to solve a problem that can be solved with a no nonsense directive to the toll road operators.

The other issue is the exemptions - but frankly, that can be linked to the tag too. If you are the PM’s convoy, pay the toll using Fastag - and have the NHAI refund it to you is you are eligible. None of these arguments blocking traffic about who is eligible.

[srishiva]

Originally Posted by Hayek

The other issue is the exemptions - but frankly, that can be linked to the tag too. If you are the PM’s convoy, pay the toll using Fastag - and have the NHAI refund it to you is you are eligible. None of these arguments blocking traffic about who is eligible.

I hope everyone pays. I think they do get refunds including fuel. One should at least look fair in everyday life and not stand out With fast tag, if the car is owned by the govt, the deduction happens from public money already.

[clementw]

I have a concern here, will they mandate a tracker in all cars? Will it then be the next level of intrusive scrutiny? The demerits seem to outweigh the potential merits. What was the need to push Fastag in such haste then?

[qaqa]

Utter stupidity, or outright malice - which one is it? That's the golden question to answer.

The benign answer is that the so called "GPS imaging" system was oversold by some vendor to some Babu or Mantri. The system doesnt seem technologically sound, and is certainly an overkill. If this alone is the trigger, we dont really have to worry and the idea will die a natural death.

The answer that I'm afraid of is that "toll collection" is only an excuse to get tracking systems installed on all cars. Goodbye privacy, hello non-stop surveillance. Real time location information for all vehicles in the country could get pretty dangerous in the hands of a wannabe totalitarian-minded state.

Not sure which answer is worse.

[Sebring]

How come a road, which comes under toll, never ends in this country? Mumbai-Pune is at least 2 decades old, and the road should be free to use by now. But the operator claims the money is sill not recovered. Similar story in every city. I'm tired of paying toll on my drives! This GPS system will usher in a whole new era of organised looting.

[landcruiser123]

Got to address it now, India seems to be going towards being the next hermit kingdom, especially with increasing jingoism.

Whomever wrote that news article is as dumb as a piece of bread. Why not just implement fastag well? Why should we reinvent the wheel if so many countries have established systems working perfectly?

I like this post:

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/stree...ml#post4957114 (India to be tollbooth barrier-free by 2022)

[benbsb29]

Originally Posted by smooth indian

What might happen is that we will still have toll collection points on our highways wherein a fastag is detected and car is identified via high speed cameras and toll is automatically charged to the fastag or if fastag is absent or without sufficient balance the toll is charged as a fine to the registration of the car. Alll this without the need for stopping the car.

I have seen such a system work in the Bay Area; My friend whose car was registered outside California got a bill via mail. Such a system works well and allows for a fairly brisk thorugh a toll collection point.

The pre-requisite to this is having standardised registration plates on all vehicles, as well as accurate and up-to-date addresses against them. All these years and we haven't been able to sort this basic necessity. However, it doesn't hurt to dream.

[Chetan_Rao]

Originally Posted by guyfrmblr

... high speed electronic toll system that replaced all the conventional toll booths in the state of Massachusetts, USA in 2016...

As a frequent visitor through the years who's experienced the transformation, that system is fantastic. It can even bill you by license plate if your EZPass transponder isn't active (or you haven't installed one). Zero fuss.

Back to reality, we're yet to have standardized HSRP pan-India, and Fastag itself hasn't been streamlined more than a half-decade post implementation.

[hrbheda]

Originally Posted by Chetan_Rao

. It can even bill you by license plate if your EZPass transponder isn't active (or you haven't installed one). Zero fuss.

Agree 100%. Reload using a simple app for a nominal extra fee, or using the EZpass website. Absolutely flawless system.

Been using it ever since I bought my car here in the US.

Looking at how such systems are already in place, how difficult can it be reach out to the correct people and implement it in India?

I've had multiple situations where the FasTAG readers/lanes weren't active, supposedly. I paid cash (luckily, asked for a receipt) only to have the toll amount deducted from my tag. Headache to get it fixed, even with a receipt.
Pretty sure, without a receipt, or a receipt with incorrect date/time stamps will never get resolved.

[alphamike_1612]

It is at times like these that I feel really happy for being young, single and able to carry my few possessions on my motorcycle.
The privacy concerns that this so called "GPS toll collection" brings is extremely frightening.
We have all at some point in our lives talked about how
The government should at the very least first regulate Fastag collection and weed out those toll operators who have for reclaimed the money on the toll operation long ago but are yet continuing to mint money.
Fastag has reduced the time wait at tolls considerably at TN toll plazas (atleast on NH45) except for the Chengalpattu toll plaza which has for some weird reason become a lot more congested.

Singapore had a robust system for collecting tolls when you entered the central part of the city. I was 11 when I visited, but I remember every car having a machine with a card slot and that card would be topped up with balance which would automatically be debited once you crossed the reader. There was no physical waiting at a toll plaza and not even slowing down, just the electromagnetic readers above the road. If the money wasn't enough, you would end up with a fine at your doorstep. More on this here:https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elec...ement%20system.)

Doesn't fastag operate the same way?
Why do we even need to change now?

[RoadTrippin]

For those feeling blaise about this preposterous invasion of privacy, would they feel the same way if another party comes to power? I wouldn't want any political party, irrespective of my affiliation, to have unimpeded access to my personal information. It would be extremely naive of us to presume that this sort of data collection is innocent and harmless.

Irrespective of whether this sort of GPS tracking technology is implemented and whether it is practical to do this pan india, that administrations float such harebrained ideas that endorse privacy invasion is a massive red flag in and of itself.