FASTag – Electronic Toll Collection.

FASTag – Electronic Toll Collection.

FASTag is a digital system that has been developed by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI). It is based on National Electronic Toll Collection (NETC) program. 

FASTag is made mandatory from 15th December 2019 for all the four-wheeler passenger vehicles and all the commercial vehicles like trucks, buses, tractors and construction machinery at all the national highways.

Introduction & Implementation-

FASTag system was first set up, as a pilot project, in the year 2014. Step by step the FASTag lane were being launched, and by 1st October 2017 the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI), launched a FASTag lane in almost all of its toll plazas.

From December 2017, the FASTag system was made mandatory to be issued for all the new vehicles sold in India. The Government, on 19th October 2019 announced the FASTag to be mandatory on all the National Highway from 1st December 2019. However, the said due date for mandatory FASTag has been extended to 15th December 2019.

Working- 

• FASTag is basically a tag/sticker which contains an embedded chip and an antenna.
• FASTag is to be fixed on the windscreen of the vehicle.
• FASTag enables automatic collection of toll charges as and when the vehicle passes through the toll booth. Importantly, there is no required of a vehicle to stop at the toll booth for payment of toll charges.
• FASTag employs RFID – which helps to recognize the passing of the vehicle along with details like vehicle class and the status of the tag.
• FASTag is connected either to the bank account or to the payment wallet, which enables the automatic deduction of toll charges.
• The registered owner of the vehicle would be intimated about the amount deducted via SMS on his registered mobile number.

Benefits-

• Highly Reduce The Trafic because the vehicle is not required to stop.
• Auto deduction of toll charges and non-stoppage of vehicle, it results in faster transit.
• Faster transit Ensure saving of fuel and time Of Vehicle owner.
• FASTag holder would be benefitted with 2.5% cashback on every toll charges paid at the national highway till 31st March 2020.

Procedure to be followed for getting a new FASTag –

Following are the ways of obtaining a new FASTag –

1. Online mode –

FASTag can be obtained/purchased online through 22 certified issuing banks.FASTag can also be purchased from the NHAI website or IHMCL website. Further, FASTag can also be purchased through e-commerce platforms like Amazon and Paytm.

2. Offline mode –

More than 28,500 Point of Sale Locations have been established by the Indian Highways Management Company Ltd (IHMCL) and various banks, through which FASTag can be purchased.

It should be noted that Point of Sale Locations includes National Highway toll plazas; various bank branches; selected petrol pumps; RTO; Common Service Centres; transport hubs, etc.

3. Mobile App –

For the smooth functioning of FASTag, the National Highway Authority of India has launched a mobile app ‘My FASTag App’. The application helps the common public in the following ways –

• The app is consumer-friendly and works on both Android and ios system.
• One can purchase and recharge the FASTag through the App.
• One can even find the list of all the point of sale locations through the App.

Documents-

Following is the list of documents which are required for obtaining a new FASTag –

• Registration certificate of the vehicle;
• Passport size photo of the owner;
• KYC documents like ID proof and address proof.

FASTag Activation –

FASTag purchased through online or offline mode is bank neutral i.e. no bank is pre-assigned to the FASTag at the time of purchase. 

FASTag can be activated in the following two ways –

• Self Activation- Self-activation can be done through ‘My FASTag App’. Wherein, firstly, one is required to enter the vehicle details. Secondly, one needs to link the FASTag to any of its existing bank account or to any of the payment wallet. If the FASTag is linked to the bank account, the toll charges would be directly get deducted from the bank account. However, if the FASTag is linked with the payment wallet, the toll charges would be deducted from the amount loaded in the payment wallet.

• Activation through visiting the certified bank branch –One can also activate the FASTag by visiting any of the above listed 22 certified bank branches.

FASTag charges –

FASTag issuing charges are defined by the individual banks and hence the charges may vary from bank to bank. However, the National Payment Corporation of India (NPCI) has fixed INR 100 as the maximum FASTag charge.

Penalty –

As seen above, the Government has made FASTag mandatory from 15th December 2019. In case the FASTag is not obtained, after the expiry of the due date, the vehicles without FASTag would be penalized with double the toll charges.