Get set go FASTag -Seamless travel on the National Highways

Published: 30-12-2020

Tired of standing at serpentine toll-booth queues at highways? Tendering lack of proper change annoys you or the certainly avoidable loss of time, energy & fuel-wastage bothers you?

If the answer to all the above is a positive “yes”, then surely you are the one looking for a solution to the above problems namely-FASTag.

Let’s know more about FASTag

FASTag is a completely digital mode of toll-tax payment at the toll-plazas which works on the principal of RFID (Radio Frequency Identification Technology).It is a tag that is affixed at the windshield of the vehicle. This tag being associated with a prepaid account connected with the particular vehicle.

Procedure in place

The RFID scanner is able to detect the FASTag, post the entry of the vehicle in the respective FASTag lane. Thereby the toll charges gets deducted automatically and the debit information is sent to the registered mobile number in the form of short message Service alerts.

Latest Updates

Initiated in December 2019, FASTag is going to be the future move when it comes to digital toll-charges collection in India. Given the volume and diversity of commuters across the National Highways in our country, the previously given mandatory deadline of January 1st 2021 may be stretched to another month.

As per circular from Government of India Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (Toll Section) Transport Bhawan, 1, Parliament Street, New Delhi-110001 dated 31st December, 2020- “At hybrid lanes of fee plazas on National Highways, fee payment can be made through FASTag as well as in cash mode till 15th February, 2021.Moreover, in FASTag lanes of fee plazas, payment of fees will continue to be through FASTag only”.

So it becomes all the more important, that we are all geared-up with the required know-hows in place.

Places to get

• Offline Mode - Any point of sales like toll plazas, Regional Transport Offices (RTOs), petrol pumps, selected NETC (National Electronic Toll Collection) member bank branches etc.
• Online - Official website of select banks, various leading online vendors etc.

Salient features

FASTag comes with a validity period of 5 years. After the first purchase only top/recharge needs to be done as per individual requirements. Each FASTag is unique to each vehicle and once allotted, it is non-transferable to a different vehicle.

Get your documents right

• Vehicle RC (Registration Certificate)
• KYC Documents of the vehicle owner ( ID proof, address proof)
• Passport size photo of the vehicle owner

We have tried to capture the essence of the common issues faced by everyday users in a nutshell to enable our readers with a smoother FASTag user experience.

• Two separate FASTags for two vehicles - An individual with two vehicles would need two separate FASTags for two of his/her vehicles vis-à-vis the owner of the vehicle shall be charged accordingly if two FASTags are found to be associated with two vehicles.
• Malpractices - A FASTag bought for a particular category (example-car) being used for other category of vehicle (multiaxle vehicle) is liable to be blacklisted leading to refusal of vehicle entry /passage from FASTag lanes in the Toll Plazas. FASTag users are advised to refrain from such practice and encourage family/friends for the same.
• Lost FASTags & linked account balance – Call customer care of the issuing agency at the earliest to get your FASTag blocked, so that any kind of fraudulent activity can be avoided. Upon getting a new FASTag account, the issuing agency shall transfer the existing balance from the old FASTag account to the new one.
• Mutilation - Mutilated FASTags will be replaced upon placing request with the issuing agency.
• Wrong deductions - The instances of wrong/mismatching/incorrect deductions should be reported immediately at the customer care of the issuing agency. Upon review the appropriate actions will be initiated.
• Local vehicle concession - There are instances when residing within in a close vicinity of a National Highway may worry you regarding the everyday transactions. In such cases availing local vehicle concession may enable to usage of FASTag lanes and get appropriate cash back.
• Change in KYC details - FASTag is designed to be compatible with all enabled toll plazas across the country. The responsibility of updating the KYC details at the respective issuing agency lies with the owner.
• Ownership rights - In cases of purchase/sell-out /transfer of vehicles, the issuing agency has to be informed accordingly.
• Grievance redressal - The POC for any grievance redressal is the respective issuing agency. Depending upon the severity of the issue, the matter could be escalated to the next level to IHMCL.

FASTag is a comprehensive solution to the everyday hustle-bustle faced by regular long-distance highway drivers and co-passengers. It’s an amazing initiative undertaken by Govt. of India that will remarkably reduce the regular delay at toll booths. Considering the chaos created by long waiting lines, confusion in deciding the change amount, unnecessary wastage of fuel, impatience displayed by the co-passengers etc. FASTag should emerge as oasis in a desert. Also this initiative is a great catalyst to support the “Go-Green” initiative as it highly reduces the unnecessary wastage of paper in the form of toll-tickets.