Paying by cash? Pay up ‘penalty’ at toll plazas

NEW DELHI: Pay toll by cash? Get ready to shell out 10-20% extra. In a move to decongest toll plazas, where cash payments lead to long queues, the government is planning to penalise cash tolling in metros. The extra payment, the government reckons, will bring about a ‘behavioural shift’ in commuters and make them opt for electronic tolling through FASTags.

If implemented, this would mean a reversal of the current incentive system in which e-tolling attracts a discount. “Cash tolling leads to congestion at toll plazas. So far, we have a discount for electronic tolling. Now, we are planning to reverse this,” a government official told ET, seeking anonymity.