India is set to introduce Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) that will replace the FASTag system. According to a notification issued by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH), owners of GNSS-equipped private vehicles will be able to travel on national highways for up to 20 km without paying any toll. As per the new notification - National Highway Fee (Determination of Rates and Collection) Amendment Rules, 2024, toll will be collected only when the distance travelled on national highways exceeds 20 km. “A driver, owner or person in possession of a mechanical vehicle, other than a national permit vehicle, using the same section of a national highway, permanent bridge, bypass or tunnel shall be charged zero-user fee for a journey of up to twenty kilometres in each direction in a day under the GNSS based user fee collection system and if the distance travelled exceeds twenty kilometres, the fee shall be charged for the actual distance travelled,” the order issued by the ministry said.

What are the new National Highway Fee Rules?

Rule 6 of 2008 has been amended to create special lanes at toll plazas for vehicles with GNSS equipment, eliminating the need for them to stop for manual toll payment. The ministry has clarified that vehicles not registered in India or those that do not have functioning GNSS equipment will continue to pay standard toll rates.

What is Global Navigation Satellite System?

GNSS will effectively eliminate the use of FASTag and eliminate the need for toll plazas on national and state highways. It claims to make the process smooth as there will be no need to buy and validate a FASTag sticker. The GNSS-enabled tags will send vehicle position and speed data to a centralised system. It will calculate the toll based on the distance travelled and the speed at which this distance was covered. Digital image processing records the coordinates of the highway, while CCTV cameras installed on gantries make toll collection seamless by confirming the vehicle's position. The system will be initially implemented on major highways and expressways. On-board units (OBUs) or tracking devices will be available through government portals, like FASTags. These will need to be externally installed on vehicles, though vehicles may be offered with pre-installed OBUs by manufacturers. Toll charges will be deducted from the linked bank account based on the distance travelled. According to MoRTH, by March 2024, over 98% of user fees at toll plazas are paid through FASTag.

What could be the challenges?

Although India has the potential to adopt digital technologies, the transition to a GPS-based toll system will require significant infrastructure improvements. India has a road network of about 6.67 million km, the second largest in the world. At the same time, the total toll length in the country has grown from 25,996 km in FY19 to 45,428 km by the end of November of FY24. The tolled length was 29,666 km in 2019-20, 34,071 km in 2020-21, 38,315 km in 2021-22 and 42,595 km in 2022-23. The introduction of the new system in place of the current FASTag infrastructure could lead to a potential increase in toll costs for drivers.

Road Accidents in India

At the 64th Annual Conference of the SIAM held on September 10 in Delhi, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari appealed to all stakeholders to focus on reducing road accidents in India. “Every hour there are about 53 accidents and 18 deaths in the country. Imagine that. 45% of accidents are caused by two-wheelers, 20% are caused by pedestrians,” Gadkari told original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) during SIAM’s annual event. The 'India Road Safety Status Report 2024', prepared by IIT Delhi's TRIP Centre, analysed road safety in India, including FIRs from six states and audits of state compliance with Supreme Court directions on road safety governance. The report highlights disparities in road traffic deaths across states, the vulnerability of motorcycle riders, and high fatalities related to trucks. In 2021, road traffic injuries were the 13th leading cause of death and the 12th leading cause of health loss (measured in Disability-Adjusted Life Years, or DALYs) in India. In six states (Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh), road traffic injuries were among the top 10 causes of health loss, according to the report by TRIP Centre Analysis. Tamil Nadu, Telangana, and Chhattisgarh recorded the highest fatality rates with 21.9, 19.2, and 17.6 per 1,00,000 people. In contrast, West Bengal and Bihar had the lowest rates in 2021, at 5.9 per 1,00,000. According to the report, six states — Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Rajasthan, and Tamil Nadu — record nearly half of all road accidents in India. The most common victims of road accidents were pedestrians, cyclists, and motorised two-wheeler riders, while trucks accounted for the “highest proportion of affected vehicles”. The report also highlighted that most states lacked basic traffic safety measures such as traffic calming, marking, and There is a lack of signage.

Where does India stand in global road governance?

The report points out a comparison between India and developed countries such as Sweden and other Scandinavian countries. In 1990, an Indian was 40% more likely to be killed in a road accident than someone from these countries. By 2021, this figure rose by 600%, indicating a sharp rise in road deaths, the report added. Since two-wheelers, cyclists and motorcyclists make up the majority of road deaths, the report questions whether better-equipped vehicles and more advanced safety features are the solution.