Barrier-free tolling by Feb-March 2027, says Union Minister Nitin Gadkari
On Friday, the Union Minister launched a facility for portability of FASTags, allowing existing vehicle owners to link their existing FASTag to a new bank account
- Sep 11, 2026,
- Updated Sep 11, 2026 4:07 PM IST
Over the last few years, crossing highway tolls has become faster thanks to the launch of FASTag, compared to the physical toll collection earlier. But it still takes some time. From next year, you will need 10 seconds or less to pass tolls, with the government keen to launch fully digital, barrier-free tolling, according to Union Roads Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari.
"Earlier the waiting time was 12 minutes. Now, (with FASTag) it has improved 80-90%. But, I want to improve it further, so that no one has to wait. We are going towards a barrier-free tolling system," Gadkari said at the Global Fintech Fest. FASTag was made mandatory in 2021. The penetration on National Highway toll plazas is more than 98%, and over 13 crore FASTags have been issued so far, according to Gadkari.
With barrier-free tolling, vehicles will be able to pass toll plazas without stopping as there won't be any physical barriers. Gadkari said the goal is to have the barrier-free system, with with a multi-lane free flow (MLFF) system expected to be operational at toll plazas by March.
He claimed that due to faster tolling economic value of the time saved is estimated to be around Rs 68,500 crore each year. There will be annual fuel saving of 56 crore litres.
He also believes that with FASTag and automatic number recognition, the toll revenues could increase further. He expects that the combined system will add Rs 10,000 crore toqtoll revenues annually.
With digital tolling, Gadkari said there would be lot of opportunities for fintechs.
He told the fintech community to study best practices prevalent around the world and provide recommendations to the government.
"India has a strong digital foundation with UPI payments, Aadhaar Identity, and Vahaan vehicle information... Now the next step is to join these digital capabilities into one connected ecosystem to drive intelligent mobility,, which is equally important," he said.
On Friday, he launched a facility for portability of FASTags. This facility will allow existing vehicle owners to link their existing FASTag to a new bank account.
Over the last few years, crossing highway tolls has become faster thanks to the launch of FASTag, compared to the physical toll collection earlier. But it still takes some time. From next year, you will need 10 seconds or less to pass tolls, with the government keen to launch fully digital, barrier-free tolling, according to Union Roads Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari.
"Earlier the waiting time was 12 minutes. Now, (with FASTag) it has improved 80-90%. But, I want to improve it further, so that no one has to wait. We are going towards a barrier-free tolling system," Gadkari said at the Global Fintech Fest. FASTag was made mandatory in 2021. The penetration on National Highway toll plazas is more than 98%, and over 13 crore FASTags have been issued so far, according to Gadkari.
With barrier-free tolling, vehicles will be able to pass toll plazas without stopping as there won't be any physical barriers. Gadkari said the goal is to have the barrier-free system, with with a multi-lane free flow (MLFF) system expected to be operational at toll plazas by March.
He claimed that due to faster tolling economic value of the time saved is estimated to be around Rs 68,500 crore each year. There will be annual fuel saving of 56 crore litres.
He also believes that with FASTag and automatic number recognition, the toll revenues could increase further. He expects that the combined system will add Rs 10,000 crore toqtoll revenues annually.
With digital tolling, Gadkari said there would be lot of opportunities for fintechs.
He told the fintech community to study best practices prevalent around the world and provide recommendations to the government.
"India has a strong digital foundation with UPI payments, Aadhaar Identity, and Vahaan vehicle information... Now the next step is to join these digital capabilities into one connected ecosystem to drive intelligent mobility,, which is equally important," he said.
On Friday, he launched a facility for portability of FASTags. This facility will allow existing vehicle owners to link their existing FASTag to a new bank account.