What is GNSS-Based Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) System?

A decade earlier, FASTag was introduced, making the toll tax payment quicker, smoother, and contactless. For an upgrade, the Government of India plans to implement a GNSS-based toll collection system for seamless FASTag payments. It is like GPS tracking of vehicles, which can help in the precise calculation of the distance covered and levying the toll accordingly. The GNSS toll collection system may eliminate the toll plazas.

Let’s understand in detail how the GNSS-based toll system in India works, its benefits, and challenges.

In this blog, you will explore

• GNSS Based Toll Collection
• What is a GPS-Based Toll System?
• How Will the GNSS Toll System Work?
• FASTag Vs GNSS
• Benefits of GNSS Toll System
• Challenges of Satellite-Based Toll Collection in India

What is GNSS-Based Toll Collection?

In simple words, the GNSS-based toll collection system will be satellite-based tolling in India. GNSS stands for Global Navigation Satellite System, and India plans to implement this new system of distance-based tolling using satellites for monitoring purposes. It will be similar to sharing a GPS location or GPS tracking of vehicles. But India aims to use its own satellite, NavIC (Navigation with Indian Constellation). As of now, the open road tolling system on highways is done through toll booths, situated at the end of every 60 km (approximately).

However, it is not so accurate, and sometimes, some drivers skip the toll plaza by taking an alternative route or local roads through the area. But the satellite-based toll collection can help in knowing the exact coordinates of the vehicles and the distance covered. Accordingly, the NHAI (National Highways Authority of India) can levy toll taxes. Moreover, it can help in toll collection without a toll booth.

What is a GPS-Based Toll System? How does it differ from the GNSS-Based Toll System?

The GNSS is a collective term for satellite-based toll systems or navigation systems. Different countries have launched various satellites and use them for location tracking, navigation purposes and also for toll collection. The GPS (Global Positioning System) is a satellite system operated by the USA.

The GNSS-based toll collection system in India may use both GPS and NavIC or function solely on NavIC. One of the reasons for the delay in the implementation of the satellite-based toll collection system in India is that India wants to use NavIC, but there are concerns regarding its operational status.

How Will the GNSS Toll System Work?

The GNSS toll collection system in India will work on NavIC or GPS tracking of vehicles. Here’s how it is being planned -

• All vehicles will have a government-approved tracking device, the OBU (On-Board Unit). New vehicles may come with internal installation, while the older ones can get it installed externally.
• These OBUs will be equipped with GNSS receivers or communicators and a microcontroller to process the data received.
• The orbiting satellites broadcast signals containing their exact location and the time when the signal was sent. These signals are received by the GNSS recipients of the OBUs.
• As the receiver will get signals from every satellite, the microcontroller or microprocessor will check the satellite signal’s location coordinates and the time of receiving them. Based on that, it will calculate the distance travelled.
• Calculating the distance travelled by any vehicle, the toll will be applicable. 

So, the GNSS toll collection in India will use satellite signals for vehicle tracking and do time-based calculation of distance to charge toll.

FASTag Vs GNSS

The FASTag came in as a flagship program for electronic toll collection, replacing the manual, cash-based one. The MoRTH (Ministry of Road Transport and Highways) and the NHAI plan GNSS toll collection to be the evolution and upgradation of the existing FASTag tolling.

With the integration of the GNSS toll system in India, the plan is to track vehicles for tolling without toll plazas. Below is a comparative table between RFID FASTag and GNSS tolling, which marks the difference the latter will bring.

The FASTag payment is already functional, and it is pan-India. While the GNSS tolling is still in the pilot stage — starting with commercial vehicles first before shifting to private ones.

Benefits of GNSS Toll System

The features and functioning of GNSS-based toll collection in India, as discussed above, explain the benefits it will bring.

1. Stop-Free Drive: No toll booths, barriers, waiting period or vehicle queues. Keep driving without stopping for toll payment — contactless and seamless in the true sense.
2. Distance-Based Payment: Unlike a fixed fee for FASTag payment at toll plazas, make a distance-based payment. It’s fairer and transparent to pay as you drive, the distance you cover.
3. Fraud & Crime Detection: With real-time vehicle tracking, the location data cannot be easily tampered with. Neither can you avoid the toll, nor get away easily if there’s an offence registered against your vehicle.
4. Better Management: Real-time analytics provide enough data and insights into road usage, traffic patterns, vehicle movements, etc., which can help in managing them better.
5. Lower Carbon Footprint: When the car queues, vehicles waiting at toll booths and traffic congestion will go down, there will be lesser fuel emissions.
6. Efficient: While GNSS tolling in India aims to bring efficiency in the toll collection process, it will also make it cost-efficient. The expenses of operating toll booths will be reduced.

Challenges of Satellite-Based Toll Collection in India

Although there are many advantages of having a satellite-based toll system in India, there are some downsides. They are also the reasons that GNSS tolling is not rolled out nationwide as of now.

• Since satellite-based tolling is highly dependent on technology, there are chances of technical glitches, signal disruptions, etc.
• Initial implementation of the GPS-based toll collection requires huge investments in satellite technology, tracking devices and other infrastructure.
  With GNSS tolling, privacy concerns are high. Not all are comfortable with getting tracked all the time. Moreover, there are chances of cyber attacks or data breaches.
• Satellite connectivity is not so great in remote areas or hilly regions. In such cases, having toll booths can be a better alternative.
• For full implementation, various government bodies will have to coordinate and ensure that legal and regulatory norms are in place. 

Summing Up

After the Easy FASTag implementation, the GNSS toll system in India is a push towards the modernisation of roadways and transport. It is to transform toll booth queues into speeding lanes where toll payments become digital and efficient. Initially, the country may adopt a hybrid model of FASTag-GNSS before FASTag can be replaced by GNSS.

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