MoRTH Announces GNSS-Based Toll Collection System, Retrofitting Buses with EV Kits

MoRTH Secretary Anurag Jain announced that the first 20 km on National Highways will remain toll-free. The Ministry plans to implement a GNSS-based toll system by next year. Jain also highlighted potential policies to retrofit older diesel buses with EV kits to extend their operational life.

The Ministry of Road, Transport, and Highways (MoRTH) reaffirmed that the first 20 kilometers on National Highways will remain free of tolls, as there have been no policy changes, stated Secretary Anurag Jain on Thursday. He clarified that tolls will only be charged for distances exceeding 20 kilometers.

Addressing the recent amendment in the NH Fee rule of 2008, Jain elaborated that non-National Permit vehicles would incur no user fee up to 20 kilometers of travel in each direction, under a new GNSS-based collection system. He announced that a Request for Proposal for this satellite-based system would be issued before the end of this fiscal year, with implementation set to start in the first quarter of the next financial year for commercial vehicles.

Jain also discussed the potential for increasing speed limits on improved road infrastructure, stating that disciplined driving systems must first be established. Additionally, he explored the concept of retrofitting diesel buses with electric vehicle (EV) kits, seeing it as a positive policy option to extend the buses' operational life while addressing pollution issues, contingent on proper maintenance.

(With inputs from agencies.)