Chennai: Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) was launched on the Chennai-Bengaluru Corridor with an aim to help vehicle users to save time and money.
Electronic toll collection (ETC) is a system to collect tolls electrically, it was developed with an aim to reduce the delay on toll roads. Earlier it was implemented on Delhi-Mumbai corridor of the Golden Quadrilateral (GQ) and the system now launched on the Chennai-Bengaluru corridor.
The center has introduced Electronic toll Collection systems for four major components including automated vehicle identification, automated vehicle classification, transaction processing and violation enforcement. With this system the center collected user’s fee on National Highways through inter-operable system with the help of FASTag.
The center has decided to implement ETC system at all national toll plaza’s in next 6 months. With this ETC service, no need to pay toll charges at toll plaza. At first, a tag will be issued for a vehicle at toll gate, it consist information about vehicle number, owner name of vehicle, address and other related details. They issued a bank account which is engaged with ICICI to that owner of vehicle.
Owner of vehicle has to maintain some amount in that account, when a respective vehicle reached to toll plaza, automatically respective amount will be deducted from the account and owner of vehicle will receive an SMS each time when it crosses toll plaza using FASTag.
The advantage of FASTag include no waiting at toll plazas, no need to pay in cash and ensuring continuous movement through dedicated toll lane. Toll plazas of Bengaluru-Mumbai section will be added soon for between Chennai and Mumbai.