India’s First Barrier-Free Tolling System Inaugurated In Gujarat

India now has its first operational barrier-free tolling system on National Highway 48. The system, called the Multi-Lane Free Flow (MLFF) barrier-less tolling system, has been inaugurated at the Chorayasi Toll Plaza located between Surat and Bharuch.

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As per information shared by the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways, the new MLFF toll plaza uses automatic number plate recognition and FASTag readers to actively deduct toll from vehicles as it passes through the plaza without needing the vehicle to stop. While full details are not yet shared, the system is likely to work in conjunction with the existing toll plaza on the national highway, with vehicles with black listed FASTags or using FASTags with insufficient balance likely being halted at the plaza to pay double toll.

The system uses automated number plate recognition tech and FASTag readers to identify vehicles and deduct tolls.

Tweeting on the launch of the MLFF, Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways, Nitin Gadkari, tweeted, “The introduction of MLFF marks a significant step towards digitising the tolling ecosystem and modernising National Highway infrastructure to global standards. This transformative system will reduce travel time, ease congestion, improve fuel efficiency, lower vehicular emissions, and minimise human intervention in toll operations.”

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While the Chorayasi Toll Plaza is the first in India to use the MLFF barrier-free toll collection system, reports online say that the system could soon also be launched at the Mundka Toll Plaza on NH-344M in Delhi.

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