Love road trips? Soon, you could drive through toll plazas without stopping
The NHAI has implemented no-stop tolling infrastructure at two locations in India to cut down travel time on national highways
- May 6, 2026,
- Updated May 6, 2026 5:05 PM IST
In a move aimed at reducing congestion at tolling gates on national highways, Manoharpur in Rajasthan, and Hyderabad in Telangana are among the first live locations in India to implement barrier-less Multi-Lane Free Flow (MLFF) tolling infrastructure on National Highways.
At current deployment levels in Manoharpur and Hyderabad, the system is capable of processing an estimated 30,000 to 35,000 vehicles per day under full highway conditions. This ability to handle high-throughput traffic without requiring vehicles to slow down is central to the scalability of MLFF infrastructure across India’s expanding highway network.
The deployment is powered by LiDAR-based real-time vehicle detection and classification, marking a significant step toward no-stop tolling infrastructure. Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR), is a remote sensing technology that uses laser pulses to measure distances.
The deployment is being enabled through a partnership between the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and Cron AI’s senseEDGE platform. The technology detects and classifies vehicles in real time as they move under the tolling infrastructure, without requiring them to stop at a toll plaza.
How the system works
The system assigns a unique tracking ID, captures number plates via ANPR, and determines vehicle class from axle count and dimensions. The platform is architected to support FASTag-linked RFID as part of the full tolling stack.
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The system is specifically designed to handle complex Indian traffic conditions, including inconsistent lane discipline and frequent vehicle overlap (occlusion). The deployment is expected to reduce queueing, traffic jams, idling and stop-start movement at tolling points, helping improve traffic flow and supporting better fuel efficiency and lower emissions on some of India’s busiest highway corridors.
In an MLFF environment, where vehicles continue moving instead of slowing down at a plaza, the system must be able to identify the vehicle, classify it correctly and trigger the right tolling action instantly. Cron AI’s technology is designed for this operating environment, including conditions involving poor visibility, overlapping vehicles, glare, darkness and fast-changing traffic.
“Technologies that enable accurate real-time vehicle detection and classification will be critical to this transition, particularly in traffic environments as dense and diverse as India’s. Deployments such as these will help strengthen the technological backbone required for the next generation of tolling infrastructure,” said a NHAI official.
Benefits of the system
As India continues to modernize its highway infrastructure, MLFF tolling represents an important step toward improving throughput, reducing congestion at tolling points and creating a more seamless experience for road users.
As India’s National Highway network has expanded from 91,287 km in 2013–14 to 1,46,204 km as of March 2025, the need for infrastructure that can keep traffic moving efficiently across a much larger road network has grown in parallel.
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The Government of India has mandated the transition of over 1,100 toll plazas to Multi-Lane Free Flow systems, signalling a nationwide shift toward barrier-less tolling. With FASTag already reaching around 98% penetration and over 8 crore users, the next phase of tolling modernization lies in enabling vehicles to be identified and processed while in motion. NHAI has described MLFF as a barrier-less tolling system designed to reduce congestion and travel time at fee plazas, underscoring the need for technologies that can make no-stop tolling reliable at scale.
“India is moving from tolling as a checkpoint to tolling as an invisible layer of national infrastructure. That shift requires the road itself to become intelligent — able to identify every vehicle, classify it correctly, and trigger the right action instantly, regardless of speed or conditions. That is what senseEDGE is built to do, and what is now live on some of India’s busiest corridors. ” said Tushar Chhabra, Founder and CEO, Cron AI.
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FAQs
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What is Multi-Lane Free Flow (MLFF) tolling on Indian highways?
MLFF is a barrier-less tolling system that allows vehicles to pass through toll points without stopping. It uses technologies such as LiDAR, ANPR and FASTag-linked RFID support to identify, track and classify vehicles in real time, helping reduce congestion and travel time.
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Which locations in India are among the first to go live with MLFF tolling infrastructure?
Manoharpur in Rajasthan and Hyderabad in Telangana are among the first live locations in India where barrier-less MLFF tolling infrastructure has been implemented on National Highways.
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How does the new MLFF tolling system work under real highway conditions?
The system assigns each vehicle a unique tracking ID, captures the number plate through ANPR, and determines the vehicle class using axle count and dimensions. It is built to process moving vehicles instantly, even in conditions like poor visibility, glare, darkness and vehicle overlap.
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What are the main benefits of barrier-less MLFF tolling for road users?
The main benefits include less queueing at toll points, smoother traffic flow, lower idling and stop-start movement, quicker travel and better fuel efficiency. It can also help reduce emissions on busy highway corridors by allowing vehicles to keep moving.
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Why is MLFF tolling important for India’s expanding highway network?
India’s National Highway network has grown significantly, and traffic volumes have increased along with it. With the government planning the transition of more than 1,100 toll plazas to MLFF systems and FASTag already widely used, barrier-less tolling is becoming important for handling high traffic efficiently at scale.
In a move aimed at reducing congestion at tolling gates on national highways, Manoharpur in Rajasthan, and Hyderabad in Telangana are among the first live locations in India to implement barrier-less Multi-Lane Free Flow (MLFF) tolling infrastructure on National Highways.
At current deployment levels in Manoharpur and Hyderabad, the system is capable of processing an estimated 30,000 to 35,000 vehicles per day under full highway conditions. This ability to handle high-throughput traffic without requiring vehicles to slow down is central to the scalability of MLFF infrastructure across India’s expanding highway network.
The deployment is powered by LiDAR-based real-time vehicle detection and classification, marking a significant step toward no-stop tolling infrastructure. Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR), is a remote sensing technology that uses laser pulses to measure distances.
The deployment is being enabled through a partnership between the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and Cron AI’s senseEDGE platform. The technology detects and classifies vehicles in real time as they move under the tolling infrastructure, without requiring them to stop at a toll plaza.
How the system works
The system assigns a unique tracking ID, captures number plates via ANPR, and determines vehicle class from axle count and dimensions. The platform is architected to support FASTag-linked RFID as part of the full tolling stack.
MUST READ: DDA offers more time for towering heights buyers, interest-free window till June 30
The system is specifically designed to handle complex Indian traffic conditions, including inconsistent lane discipline and frequent vehicle overlap (occlusion). The deployment is expected to reduce queueing, traffic jams, idling and stop-start movement at tolling points, helping improve traffic flow and supporting better fuel efficiency and lower emissions on some of India’s busiest highway corridors.
In an MLFF environment, where vehicles continue moving instead of slowing down at a plaza, the system must be able to identify the vehicle, classify it correctly and trigger the right tolling action instantly. Cron AI’s technology is designed for this operating environment, including conditions involving poor visibility, overlapping vehicles, glare, darkness and fast-changing traffic.
“Technologies that enable accurate real-time vehicle detection and classification will be critical to this transition, particularly in traffic environments as dense and diverse as India’s. Deployments such as these will help strengthen the technological backbone required for the next generation of tolling infrastructure,” said a NHAI official.
Benefits of the system
As India continues to modernize its highway infrastructure, MLFF tolling represents an important step toward improving throughput, reducing congestion at tolling points and creating a more seamless experience for road users.
As India’s National Highway network has expanded from 91,287 km in 2013–14 to 1,46,204 km as of March 2025, the need for infrastructure that can keep traffic moving efficiently across a much larger road network has grown in parallel.
MUST READ: Uttar Pradesh property boom: Ganga Expressway to drive growth in Meerut, Hapur, Shahjahanpur markets
The Government of India has mandated the transition of over 1,100 toll plazas to Multi-Lane Free Flow systems, signalling a nationwide shift toward barrier-less tolling. With FASTag already reaching around 98% penetration and over 8 crore users, the next phase of tolling modernization lies in enabling vehicles to be identified and processed while in motion. NHAI has described MLFF as a barrier-less tolling system designed to reduce congestion and travel time at fee plazas, underscoring the need for technologies that can make no-stop tolling reliable at scale.
“India is moving from tolling as a checkpoint to tolling as an invisible layer of national infrastructure. That shift requires the road itself to become intelligent — able to identify every vehicle, classify it correctly, and trigger the right action instantly, regardless of speed or conditions. That is what senseEDGE is built to do, and what is now live on some of India’s busiest corridors. ” said Tushar Chhabra, Founder and CEO, Cron AI.
MUST READ: Will a regime change in West Bengal revive Kolkata’s long-underperforming real estate market?