App for easy highway navigation

Making navigation on Highways less cumbersome, the government said it would release a smartphone app and a portal with all relevant information drivers need to have for the long journeys.

The app will provide details such as diversions on National Highways, links to state highways, major district roads, toll plazas, the nearest hospital, police station and food joints.

Drivers can also find out the exact amount to be paid at each toll plaza for different vehicles using the app, which would be available as a free download on all major mobile platforms, a road ministry official told Deccan Herald.

The new app will be enhanced to provide a wide array of information users would like to know and is therefore more comprehensive than a similar app launched by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) a few months ago.

Road ministry officials hope that the app would prevent misbehaviour by toll operators, while also solving issues like indefinite waiting at toll booths.

A simple-to-use app, drivers have to merely input the starting point and the destination –Delhi and Agra, for instance— to get details such as the number of toll booths and their precise locations.

“Travellers can also get latest information about concessions available for local and frequent users on any toll plaza so that the toll operators can't fleece them” an official said.

Though it is mandatory, toll operators often fail to put up boards displaying details on toll fares for different vehicles. With the app though, the ministry expects to address concerns among road users about overcharging by toll plaza managers.