[VVN@mycar]

I guess registered number plate and fast tag will work synchronised manner. Fast tags are mandatory as we know. Tamper proof number plates in all vehicles is added in next few years. To compare Indian car scenario with developed countries will be difficult. Here in India we are now getting adujusted for Fasttag But issues of non recharge of account and clogging fast lane is not missed by anyone of us.
New technology will come with positives and negatives. Online RC / DL based fine imposed by RTO is pending in crores of rupees and no one want to pay or has his own reasons to delay till cought physically and asked for.

[WorkingGuru]

FasTag is good enough, IMHO. People need to be physically barricaded from using something unless they pay for it.

State doesn't have the manpower resources / machinery to deal with all the fellows who don't have proper number plates.

At best this can be a second authentication factor for FasTag.

[GauravMajithia]

In country like purs, it is best to Stay with FastTag or Similar Tech which has a physical devices that can only linked by respective Owner.

In FastTag we have RFID which once purchased can be linked to a car number by the Owner ONLY via the facilitator (Bank).

On the other hand Number plate as we know can easily be changed, there will be dirt on the plate, unreadable due to traffic or other reasons.

If we want to remove toll plaza, instead of Passive RFID (FastTag) we can have BLE Based or similar other tec based device fitted in the car that is tightly integrated to the car ECU. This Active communication can easily be established even at certain speed by readers placed on the highway.

[pramodkumar]

People of the country have billions of rupees tied in multiple fasttag wallets, billions of rupees tied in the fasttag infra by contractors. What happens to all that money?

Pramod

[condor]

I guess it is a long long way away. For this to be done, all cars need to have HSRP first. Even then, there is still that question if the number plates actually belong to the particular vehicle - we have seen cases of transport companies using same plate for multiple vehicles. Or the rare case of swapped plates on a stolen vehicle.

The option being discussed is fine for developed nations where all vehicles have correct plates. Duplication is not normally seen, though stolen vehicles may still be found (with fake plates).

Dirt on plates, especially in rainy season. Or transport vehicles & tractors etc will have dirty plates most of the time.

Either way, I prefer the fastag option. I think it is more secure since most vehicles have a tag that is stuck.

[dust-n-bones]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

I am familiar with licence-plate recognition for imposition of an average speed limit over a stretch, and I believe that it is now part of the Big Brother who's-where-and-why set up

Quite apart from the implementation problems that have been correctly cited (fake/unrecognizable plates etc - which I do hope will be tested in prototyping), I think the real danger in a country like India with lax citizen safeguards is the big brother problem.

The technology usage can start with charging tolls, but just as easily be (mis) used to track suspected criminals, then to track political opponents, civil society activists, disrupt agitations. I'm sure private companies like insurers and lenders will want this data as well.

Mass surveillance - this is what this slippery slope leads to.

[GrammarNazi]

Sorry for going OT, but just read on twitter about (yet another) accident in Delhi where a drunk driver hit a biker leading to his fatality.

So much tech in collecting money, how about making it compulsory to have an alcohol detector (blow type) every time the car needs to be cranked?

I understand it's hard, but the tech can be developed to scale and I'm sure many lives would be saved.

[audioholic]

I think as usual media has not understood the whole system and making this sound a little problematic in implementation. Its practically not possible to completely depend only on ANPR to deduct toll payments. There should still be a monetary account maintained which would be Fastag. When the minister says toll booths will be eliminated, it means there will no longer be validation of Fastag and opening of the boom barrier. Instead, like in some European countries, there will be a network of ANPR cameras and Fastag readers placed every X kms on the highways. For vehicles with a valid tag, it would read it and ensure the tag is present on the registered vehicle(to prevent misuse of tag) and charge the user. For vehicles without a valid tag, the movement of the vehicle would be captured and reported to the backend which then has to be followed up. I'm not sure able this part as to who would go behind the vehicles without valid tags.

Perhaps the cars without valid tags would have balance accumulated and then recovered based on the toll operator or through some govt agency.