Electronic tolling-FASTag technology in transport is a game changer in climate action: A sustainable policy towards Net-Zero in India

On-road transport is a major contributor to the country's air pollution profile. Envisioned reaching Net-Zero by 2070 and curbing air pollution, Government of India's initiative to adopt FASTag (Fast and Secure Transmission of Highway Tags) technology is revolutionary in the toll collection system in transport ecosystem. This is the first-ever national-level study to investigate the impact of FASTag policy on mitigating vehicular emissions near toll plazas across India. The emission reduction is assessed and estimated using the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) defined bottom-up approach for 2025. The estimated emissions findings highlight that there is a significant reduction varying up to ∼7% for PM2.5, PM10, CO, NOx, VOC, SO2, BC, OC and CO2 emissions due to the FASTag as compared to traditional toll collection system, where the highest reduction comes from the regions like Indo-Gangetic plain, Western and South-Eastern India. With the implementation of advanced Global Positioning System (GPS) based toll collection systems in the forthcoming year, it will further reduce emissions by another ∼4%. Heavy commercial vehicles (HCVs) are the largest contributor to emissions and are likely to contribute the largest portion to the reduction of pollutants. This research sensitises the role of policy-induced advanced sustainable transport technology to achieve Net-Zero.