NHAI to upgrade 1033 national highway helpline with AI for faster emergency response

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is upgrading its 1033 National Highway Helpline with artificial intelligence, real-time location tracking and intelligent emergency-response systems, and its promoted company Indian Highways Management Company Limited (IHMCL) has invited expressions of interest from companies and consortia to develop, design, deploy, operate and maintain the platform. The helpline, launched in 2018, serves more than 1.46 lakh km of national highways and handles approximately 15,000 calls daily, covering medical emergencies, vehicle breakdowns, ambulance and crane services, and toll and FASTag issues. The upgraded system is expected to add automatic caller location pinpointing, AI-assisted multilingual query processing and intelligent dispatch of ambulances, cranes or patrol vehicles, while human operators remain central for complex emergencies.

New Delhi: The National Highways Authority of India NHAI is preparing to overhaul its 1033 National Highway Helpline by integrating artificial intelligence AI , real-time location tracking and intelligent emergency-response systems, aiming to deliver quicker and more effective assistance to travellers.The upgraded platform will enable the helpline to pinpoint callers’ locations automatically, process queries in multiple Indian languages with AI support, and dispatch the most suitable ambulance, crane or patrol vehicle more efficiently. Human operators will remain central to the system, particularly for complex emergencies requiring judgement and decision-making, a statement said. Launched in 2018, the 1033 helpline operates round-the-clock and currently serves more than 1.46 lakh km of national highways. It handles approximately 15,000 calls daily, offering help for medical emergencies, vehicle breakdowns, ambulance and crane services, toll and FASTag issues, and other highway-related problems. Assistance is already available in several languages, the statement said. .NHAI mandates strict plantation norms for highway projects.The next-generation system is expected to deliver faster call handling and response times, real-time location capture for emergency teams, AI-assisted multilingual support, intelligent vehicle dispatch, proactive alerts about incidents, and stronger coordination among the helpline, emergency services and highway operations teams.Indian Highways Management Company Limited IHMCL , a company promoted by NHAI, has invited expressions of interest from companies and consortia to develop, design, deploy, operate and maintain the upgraded helpline and call centre. The project seeks expertise in software development, digital platforms, 24x7 call-centre operations and emergency-response services. Firms specialising in mobility, logistics, public safety, computer-aided dispatch, voice AI and Indian-language speech recognition have been encouraged to participate.IHMCL will also gather industry suggestions and technical inputs to shape a scalable, reliable and future-ready system, drawing on relevant best practices, the statement said. Officials say the upgraded 1033 helpline will make assistance on national highways faster, better coordinated and more convenient, combining advanced technology with human support to enhance safety and the overall travel experience for highway users across the country, the statement added.