Key Terms & Concepts — UPSC Mains
MLFF Tolling (Multi-Lane Free Flow Tolling)
"A barrier-less highway toll collection system that uses Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras and FASTag radio-frequency tags to charge passing vehicles without requiring them to slow down or stop at a toll plaza."
Multi-Lane Free Flow (MLFF) Tolling is a fully electronic, barrier-less highway toll collection technology that allows vehicles to be charged while travelling at highway speed across multiple lanes without any physical toll-gate barrier. The system uses an overhead gantry mounted with high-resolution Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras and FASTag radio-frequency identification (RFID) readers. When a vehicle passes under the gantry, the gantry simultaneously reads its FASTag RFID and captures its number plate, debits the toll automatically from the linked bank account or wallet, and identifies the vehicle class through video analytics. In India, MLFF is implemented by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and the Indian Highways Management Company Limited (IHMCL) under the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. The first commercial MLFF plaza was inaugurated on the Surat-Bharuch stretch of NH-48 (Mumbai-Delhi route). Rollout has been phased: an initial set of 25 plazas in 2025-26 was scaled up to 200 plazas, with the Ministry's stated target to convert all National Highway toll plazas to MLFF by the end of 2026. For vehicles without FASTag, or whose FASTag fails to read or has insufficient balance, the system relies on ANPR to identify the vehicle from its number plate. An 'e-Notice' is then sent to the registered owner via Vahan/Sarathi database linkage, demanding payment within a defined window before penalties apply. Globally, MLFF is used on the Stockholm Congestion Tax, Singapore's Electronic Road Pricing (ERP), Australia's CityLink, and the Norwegian AutoPASS network. India's adoption builds on the FASTag mandate (December 2019), which already covers over 98% of national highway toll transactions.
Important for UPSC GS3 (Infrastructure -- roads and highways, technology adoption, e-governance) and GS2 (governance, citizen services). Examiners test the implementing agencies (NHAI, IHMCL, MoRTH), the technology stack (ANPR + FASTag RFID), the first plaza (Surat-Bharuch on NH-48), the e-Notice enforcement mechanism, and the end-of-2026 nationwide target. Mains angles cover congestion reduction, fuel savings, last-mile data-privacy issues from ANPR mass surveillance, and integration with Vahan/Sarathi.
- 1 Barrier-less highway tolling using ANPR cameras + FASTag RFID readers
- 2 Implemented by NHAI and IHMCL under Ministry of Road Transport and Highways
- 3 First plaza: Surat-Bharuch stretch on NH-48 (Mumbai-Delhi corridor)
- 4 Initial deployment: 25 plazas, scaling to 200 in 2025-26
- 5 Target: all NH toll plazas converted to MLFF by end of 2026
- 6 e-Notice issued to registered owner via Vahan database if FASTag fails or is missing
- 7 Builds on FASTag mandate of December 2019; over 98% of NH toll transactions use FASTag
- 8 Reduces fuel consumption, traffic jams and CO2 emissions at toll points
- 9 Global parallels: Stockholm Congestion Tax, Singapore ERP, Australia CityLink, Norway AutoPASS
On 11 May 2026, NHAI commissioned the Surat-Bharuch MLFF toll plaza on NH-48, the first fully barrier-less toll point on an Indian national highway. Vehicles equipped with valid FASTag are charged at 100 kmph cruising speed, while those without are identified by ANPR and sent an e-Notice. NHAI confirmed plans to roll out MLFF to 200 toll plazas by December 2026, completing the transition envisaged in the Union Budget 2025-26.
