The current manual system of paying toll tax is being planned to get automated enabling payments through mobile or credit or debit cards by the National Highway Authority (NHA).
This project will help people using the highways by this common way of payment and helps in decreasing the rush at the toll gates and save their time. An E-tag facility on M-1, M-3, and M-4 is installed by NHA and M-tag on M-2 (Islamabad-Lahore) has been installed by the Frontier Works Organization (FWO).
It came out in the Senate Standing Committee on Communication the fact that extra charges are being collected from the people when compared with the NHA-E-tag which gave instructions for inquiring into matter and implementing common toll collection system throughout country.
The E-tag electronic tolling works based on radio frequency identification (RFID) transponders using the dedicated short-range communications (DSRC) protocol. The system uses electronic transponders called E-tags mounted on the inside of the vehicles’ windscreen.
NADRA provides E-tag services to NHA on motorways (M-1, M-3 and M-4). E-tag is a free flow tolling electronic toll collection system used on all motorways.
Features of E-tag system
- Transparency in toll collection
- Better control, monitoring and management of data and toll at entry exit points
- Customized reports such as financial and traffic turnover entry/exit management
- Fast entry/exit points
- Availability of data such as CNIC, registration, model and make
- Rechargeable credit mechanism
Operations of E-tag
The radio frequency (RF) field emitted from the antenna on the vehicle activates the transponder which broadcasts a signal back to the lane antenna with some basic information. This information is transferred from the lane antenna to the central database. Toll tax is deducted from the driver if the toll lane has a gate. Then, a green light indicates that the driver can proceed.
