No barriers, no stops: How India’s tolling system is changing

Dipak K DashTNN
May 1, 2026 | 20:44 IST
At Mundka, test vehicles crossed the plaza without having to stop at boom barriers to pay the toll

Multi-Lane Free Flow system, set to be implemented from today, will allow vehicles to cruise through toll plazas, promising faster travel and lower congestion. TOI takes a test drive

It’s 1.15pm on Wednesday at the Mundka toll plaza in Delhi on the newly opened greenfield Urban Extension Road-II. To the surprise of many drivers, the boom barriers across 16 toll lanes are raised. Vehicles slow down, expecting the barriers to fall for FASTag-based toll deduction. Instead, toll attendants wave them through without stopping. Within minutes, there isn’t a single vehicle waiting at any lane.

Most commuters felt they had a free drive across the toll plaza. But they soon got messages —the toll had been deducted from their FASTag wallet.
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