80 kmph Toll Pass from 2026 to Check Speeding: Gadkari
Satellite-based toll system to auto-deduct fees, flag overspeeding between plazas
- Cars to cross toll plazas at 80 kmph from 2026
- Satellite-based system to auto-deduct toll using cameras and FASTag
- Speeding vehicles to be automatically detected and fined
- Govt expects fuel savings and ₹6,000 crore efficiency gains
GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 18th Dec: Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari on Wednesday said that from 2026, cars will be able to pass through toll plazas at speeds of up to 80 kmph under a new satellite-based toll collection system, a move that will also strengthen enforcement against highway speeding.
Explaining the mechanism in Parliament, Gadkari said high-speed cameras will capture images of vehicle number plates and FASTag stickers, after which toll charges will be automatically deducted from the bank account linked to the vehicle. “By 2026, cars will pass through toll plazas in no time at a speed of 80 kmph. The camera will take a picture of the number plate and FASTag, and the tax will be cut from the bank accounts,” he said.
The minister indicated that the new system will have an inbuilt enforcement feature. Vehicles travelling at excessive speeds between two toll points will reach the next plaza faster than the expected time, making it evident that the vehicle was overspeeding. Such cases will automatically attract fines.
According to Gadkari, the technology will be satellite-based and supported by artificial intelligence, enabling precise measurement of speed and other variables. He said eliminating waiting time at busy toll plazas would save fuel worth nearly ₹1,500 crore annually and add around ₹6,000 crore to the government’s contingency funds through improved efficiency.
The minister also underlined strict action on road quality for national highways, stating that contractors delivering substandard work would be debarred for two years. “We are responsible only for national highways, not state or city roads. Poor-quality work will not be tolerated,” he said, adding that legal action could be initiated if required.
Officials said the satellite-based toll system will reduce operational costs, as it will significantly cut the need for manpower at toll plazas. The system will rely on a combination of automatic number plate recognition, AI-driven analytics and RFID-based electronic toll collection to function seamlessly.
The rollout is expected to mark a shift towards faster, contactless tolling while simultaneously tightening compliance with traffic rules on national highways.
