GPS-based toll system in place of FASTag

GPS-based toll system in place of FASTag

Subject :Science

Context:

The government plans to start a GPS-based toll system in place of FASTag.

Details:

National Highways Fee (Determination of Rates and Collection) Rules, 2008 has been amended to allow collection of toll fees based on distance travelled by the vehicle on the NH.

Benefits: 

• It will ensure seamless payment and vehicle movement on national highways.
• It would end the role of toll plazas across the country.
• It  may lead to a reduction in toll charges as vehicles will be charged on the actual distance travelled and not fixed charges, as at toll plazas currently.
• It will also withdraw local residential passes or other concessions available for travel on highways.

How does GPS-based tolling work?

• It will need amendments to the Motor Vehicles Act to facilitate the new technology-based tolling.
• Vehicles will need to be fitted with a device that can track its movement on the highways.
• Highways will be geo-fenced, creating virtual boundaries.
• Once such a vehicle enters a tolled road, a highway software system would track mobile devices entering or leaving a particular area, and toll will be charged based on the distance traveled at the highway’s exit point. 
  • The system will use GPS or radio frequency identification technologies.
  • As the system is based on sensors, there will be no need to stop at toll plazas.
    • GPS tolling uses satellite-based navigation and requires no halting
• Users will have to get themselves and their vehicles registered along with bank accounts that will be used to transfer toll payments.

Global Positioning System – GPS:

• GPS is a satellite navigation system, used to determine the ground position of an object.
• It is a U.S.-owned utility that provides users with positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) services.
• It is a network 24 satellite which provides service to civilian and military users.
• The civilian service is freely available to all users on a continuous, worldwide basis.

Components of a GPS system

GPS is a system and it is made up of three parts: satellites, ground stations, and receivers.

• Satellites act like the stars in constellations, and we know where they are because they invariably send out signals.
• The ground stations make use of the radar to make sure the satellites are actually where we think they are.
• A receiver is a device that you might find in your phone or in your car and it constantly seeks for the signals from the satellites. The receiver figures out how far away they are from some of them. Once the receiver calculates its distance from four or more satellites, it knows exactly where you are.

How does GPS work?

• There are at least 4 GPS satellites in the line of sight of a receiver on the earth.
  • The transmitter GPS sends information about the position and time to the receiver GPS at fixed intervals.
    • The signals that are sent to the receiver devices are radio waves.
  • By finding the difference in time between the signal sent from the GPS satellite to the time the GPS receives, the distance between the GPS receiver and the satellite can be calculated using the trilateration process by the receiver. 
  • Once the receiver calculates its distance from four or more GPS satellites, it can figure out the exact location of an object.