Revolutionising toll collection: A technical analysis of India's GPS-based system

India's extensive network of roads and highways spans its rich diversity and culture. However, with every mile we cross, comes the inevitable toll taxes, often accompanied by familiar scenes of endless queues and constant honking. This amps up frustration among travellers while simultaneously increasing noise pollution, air pollution, and fuel wastage.

According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), Indian road transportation accounts for 12% of total CO2 emissions. This raises the need for efficient and smooth roadways that transform traveling into a memorable experience.

Last February, Union Minister for Roadways Nitin Gadkari unveiled the government’s plan to introduce a GPS-based tracking system for toll collection, eliminating the traditional toll tax system. By utilising technologies such as the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), GPS monitoring will simplify the tax collection process and make it more efficient and secure.

India And GPS-based Toll System

A GPS-based tax collection system requires vehicles to be equipped with a tracking device to oversee their movement on highways. An effortless system that will monitor your journey and calculate the toll based on the distance you have traveled, charging the fee as soon as the vehicle exits.

India has the third-largest road network with 350 million registered vehicles. With its growing vehicle population, it tends to face several unique challenges in toll collection such as vehicle idling, fuel wastage, and unwanted delays. GPS-based monitoring will revive the Indian toll tax system by modernising it with a blend of technology and safety.

With its 4.5 % contribution to GDP, roadways play a pivotal role in the economy too. Toll revenue is an important player in this contribution, holding an immense value of $648 billion in fiscal year 2024. According to Gadkari, GNSS will directly add an impressive USD 100 billion in Indian toll revenue.

Current system versus GPS-based system

Currently, Indian toll plazas have a Fast Tag system that allows vehicles to pass through without stopping at the toll booth and the payment is made using an electronic payment scanner. Though this helps in faster movement of vehicles the problem of long queues and vehicle idling persists in this system. However, with the GPS-based tax collection system, toll charges will be calculated based on the distance covered by travellers using Automated Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) technology. This eliminates the need for physical toll booths as the charges will be scanned automatically when the vehicle enters and exit from the highways. Thus, this will lower fuel consumption and traffic congestion.

Technical insights

Deploying a GPS-based toll system in India is not an easy feat. For leveraging this system across the country, seamless integration of satellite technology, real-time monitoring, and a secure payment system are necessary. This process involved equipping vehicles with GPS devices that are capable and secure enough to track and link devices to a robust backend for data analysis.

A significant move in this evolution is creating a network that communicates seamlessly using AI and ML algorithms across regions, ensuring uniformity and reliability. Some pioneers in the market have already started their fleets with features like real-time monitoring and GPS tracking. These features mirror the core functionality of the GPS tolling system, demonstrating the feasibility of such technology at a large scale.

Benefits of GPS-based system

1. Eliminates Long Queues: With a GPS-based toll system, say goodbye to long queues at toll booths. This system will automate tolling and reduce traffic congestion which will help vehicles to move freely.

2. Improve Fuel Efficiency: A GPS-enabled system will improve fuel efficiency as it will reduce vehicle idling. Uninterrupted travel will save fuel and cost accompanied with it. Moreover, it will help in lowering vehicular emissions which are responsible for producing 2.5 PM pollution in urban areas.

3. Enhances Safety: This system ensures real-time monitoring of vehicles and can easily alert or pinpoint vehicles in case of any theft. Moreover, it also empowers workers by giving them an extra layer of safety by eliminating the manual process which exposes them to the risk of robbery or fraud.

4. Uniform System: With this unified system placed across multiple highways travellers can experience smoother intrastate travel. Additionally, it will also streamline payment, eliminating the hassle of varying fees levied at different plazas. This will save the cost of travellers and make their journey more efficient and stress-free.

Challenges

1. Connectivity Issues: In areas where network connectivity is poor relying on GPS monitoring will be challenging. It will also be unable to calculate accurate charges and thus create hassle.

2. Data And Privacy Concern: Any technological evolution comes with both negative and positive aspects. One of the key challenges in this tech evolution is data security and breach of privacy. Ensuring the protection of sensitive information and addressing privacy concerns will be daunting tasks in GPS monitoring as breaches could easily undermine trust and security.

3. Cost Implications: Million of equipment will be deployed across the which demands significant investment and logistics. This will incur a financial burden on government and private companies involved in deploying this system.

India’s adoption of GPS baes toll system will mark a crucial step in smart transportation. This system will surely address the current bottleneck and set Indian transportation for a more efficient and flawless future. While the shift from traditional toll plazas to GPS-based ones will be daunting and full of hurdles, the results will make these hurdles worth it. After all who doesn't want faster travel, safer vehicles, no road congestion, and clean air?

Anshul Jain, Co-Founder & CTO, Roadcast