The overall FASTag penetration has reached approximately 96 per cent.
This information was given by Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha.
To make tolling efficient and ensure seamless movement of traffic Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) system using passive Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology has been implemented on a pan India basis.
To promote fee payment through digital mode and provide for seamless passage through fee plazas, the Government has declared all lanes of fee plazas on National Highways as FASTag lanes from midnight of 15 February 2021.
“Improvement in technology for collection of user fees is a continuous process and the Government is actively pursuing the developments in this field,” the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways said.
It must be noted that the Modi government plans to roll out another reform in the way toll is collected on the national highways.
In March, Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari said that the Government is all set to roll out complete GPS-based toll collection within a year.
“I want to assure the House that within one year all physical toll booths in the country will be removed. It means that toll collection will happen via GPS. The money will be collected based on GPS imaging (on vehicles),” the minister said in the Lok Sabha.