To reduce Pain - MCD in talks with NHAI to link RFID wallet to Fastag wallet

 

To reduce Pain - MCD in talks with NHAI to link RFID wallet to Fastag wallet

 

Delhi has 124 border entry points where toll tax is collected by the MCD. Of these 124 border points, the Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) system has been installed at 13 major points which are used by almost 80-85% of commercial vehicle traffic entering the city.

“Hand-held devices have been provided at all other border points to facilitate the RFID based collection,” official said.

The project, which was earlier monitored by the erstwhile EPCA, now falls under the jurisdiction of the Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR.

 

This will enable digital collection of various entry fees to Delhi through a single RFID Wallet.

          Multiple vehicles entering New Delhi need to pay three types of Toll Taxes

          Toll Tax 1 – Belongs to Municipal Corporation of Delhi

          Toll Tax 2 – Belongs to NHAI (Highway usage)

          Toll Tax 3 – Belongs to Delhi Government (Environment Compensation Charges - ECC )

          Hectic consultations are taking place to integrate all the above 3 Payments via One digital mode i.e the FASTag wallet.

          At present FASTag wallet supports Toll Payments at NHAI Toll Gates, and Parking at selected parking lots

          The ECC is collected via a ECC RFID Wallet through handheld toll collection machines.

          The ECC varies from vehicle to vehicle and also the ECC is different for an empty vehicle and loaded vehicle.

Empty Small commercial vehicle - ₹700,

Loaded Small commercial vehicle - ₹1,400.

Empty Big commercial vehicles such as trucks - ₹1300

Big commercial vehicles such as trucks - ₹2,600.

NIL ECC charges for from trucks

As there are multiple factors in play for collection of ECC, the ECC is collected via handheld machines linked to the RFID Wallets.

It is noticed that a commercial vehicle to enter Delhi may have to have 3 RFID Wallets for digital payment of the various entry fees.

This means the vehicle occupant has to keep sufficient balance in the respective RFID Wallets for seamless deduction of the various entry fees.

At the same time, recon for each entry fee has to be done separately.    

Benefit 01) Single Wallet for MCD / Delhi Government / NHAI Transactions

Benefit 02) Reduction in operating costs for MCD and Delhi Government. The savings can be passed back to the vehicle operators.

Benefit 03) Reduction in waiting time for vehicles at respective toll booths. The more time vehicles wait at toll gates, the higher chances of vehicle emissions.

Benefit 04) Boost to digital transactions

 

Challenge 01) The ECC is collected based on various parameters, a fully automated process is difficult, but may be visible in the near future.

Challenge 02) Different settlement cycles for different Tolls

Challenge 03) Increase in customer queries, if the toll details are not clearly identifiable in the Integrated Vehicle RFID Wallet statement.

Challenge 04) Delayed gap between the actual transaction and entry in the RFID Wallet

 

Mitigation Step 01) Transaction details in the Wallet statement should be easy to understand.

Mitigation Step 02) Helpdesks to respond to queries in the initial migration stage

Mitigation Step 03) Awareness sessions to reduce stress amongst various participants in the toll collection process.

Mitigation Step 04) Enhancement to the ‘MCD Toll’, App to increase the customer experience.   

 

The idea of integrating the RFID and national Fastag system was first mooted in September last year. The civic body has argued that such integration will help in cost reduction for commercial vehicle operators who need to purchase a separate chip for entering Delhi.

 

“There are two toll collection booths of municipal corporation and National Highway Authority of India at Badarpur located barely 60-70 m away from each other, leading to traffic jams and queues,” the official said. The Badarpur, Rajokri and DND border entry points are one of the biggest in terms of commercial vehicular volume. The official added that the integration will cost ₹1-1.5 crore for one border point.

 

 

Additional Reading: -

EPCA Report @ https://epca.org.in/EPCA-Reports1999-1917/EPCA-Report-No-109.pdf

 

Commercial vehicles without RFID tags, sufficient recharge to be not allowed in Delhi from Jul 1 @ https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/transportation/shipping-/-transport/commercial-vehicles-without-rfid-tags-sufficient-recharge-to-be-not-allowed-in-delhi-from-jul-1/articleshow/83640056.cms

SDMC begins cashless toll collection through RFID @ https://www.dailypioneer.com/2019/india/sdmc-begins-cashless-toll-collection-through-rfid.html

 

 

Disclaimer: These are my personal views only. The bottom line is Safe ePayments. Nothing More – Nothing Less.