No More Slowing Down At Toll Gates!

Highway travel in India is set for a major change. The familiar toll plaza with lanes, booths and boom barriers may soon become a thing of the past. The Centre is moving towards a Multi Lane Free Flow system under which vehicles can pass through toll points without stopping.

The idea is quite simple. Instead of bringing every vehicle to a toll booth, cameras and FASTag technology will identify the vehicle while it is moving. Automatic Number Plate Recognition cameras will also be used to verify the vehicle and ensure that the correct toll amount is collected.

This means motorists will no longer have to slow down and wait for the barrier to open. There will be no need to navigate through the narrow zigzag lanes currently seen at many toll plazas. The main focus is to keep traffic moving continuously and reduce unnecessary delays on busy National Highways.

The change is not just about saving a few minutes for motorists. The government expects the new system to reduce fuel consumption, vehicle emissions and the operating cost of toll collection. According to the Centre, MLFF can bring toll collection operating costs down from around 15 percent to just 3 to 4 percent.

The system has already started taking shape at selected locations. The first comprehensive MLFF toll plaza was introduced at Chorayasi in Gujarat, followed by Mundka Bakkarwala in Delhi. Several more plazas, including locations in Andhra Pradesh, are also part of the rollout.

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari has now indicated that the government wants barrier free tolling to be expanded across the country by February or March 2027. If implemented as planned, highway users could soon experience a completely different toll journey where vehicles keep moving and toll collection happens automatically in the background.