Private vehicles, buses may be exempted from paying toll

The transport ministry has received a proposal under which, private vehicles and buses will be exempted from paying toll on highways within their districts. The proposal aims to reduce the congestion on highways at toll booths. However, if private vehicles and buses are indeed exempted from paying toll, commercial vehicles will have to pay more to cover the loss.

At present, personal vehicles account for 14% of the total toll collection even though they comprise half of the total traffic on highways. According to the road ministry, in 2013, Rs. 1,600 crore of the total toll collection of Rs. 11,400 crore came from private vehicles.

The government had shut down 61 toll plazas which had become unviable or recovered the cost completely. Other attempts to reduce congestion include the introduction of electronic toll collection (ETC) across all highways in the country by the end of this financial year. A study reveals that the removal of toll plazas along with a pan-India electronic toll collection system on the national highways is likely to save India Rs. 88,000 crore.

Source: ET Auto