Motorists using vehicles with a functional global navigation satellite system (GNSS) will be allowed to travel toll-free on highways and expressways up to 20 kilometres daily with effect from Tuesday, according to a government notification.
The ministry of road transport and highways amended the National Highways Fee (Determination of Rates and Collection) Rules, 2008, which has come to effect from Tuesday. Under the new regulations, known as the National Highways Fee (Determination of Rates and Collection) Amendment Rules, 2024, fees will now be charged on the actual distance travelled if the distance exceeds 20 kilometres.
“A driver, owner or person in charge of a mechanical vehicle other than a National Permit vehicle who makes use of the same section of the national highway, permanent bridge, bypass or tunnel, as the case may be, shall be levied a zero user fee up to 20 kilometres of a journey in each direction in a day under Global Navigation Satellite System based user fee collection system,” the notification said.
“Provided also that exclusive lane can be earmarked for Global Navigation Satellite System On-Board Unit fitted vehicle and in case vehicle enters such lane, without a valid, functional Global Navigation Satellite System On-Board Unit, shall pay a fee equivalent to two times of the user fee applicable at that fee plaza,” it added. The highway ministry in July had said it decided to initially implement a GNSS-based toll collection system at select national highways on a pilot basis as an added facility along with FASTag.
Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari had said that a pilot study with regard to a GNSS-based user fee collection system has been done on the Bengaluru-Mysore section of NH-275 in Karnataka and Panipat-Hisar section of NH-709 in Haryana.
