Introduction

FASTags began as a main project in the Golden Quadrilateral in 2014. By 2016, 347 toll booths along national highways approved FASTag payments. The following year, the NHAI installed a FASTag lane in all 370 toll plazas under its control, and the government made it mandatory on all new vehicles sold in India after December 2017. On October 19, 2019, FASTag became mandatory on all National Highways.

According to the Ministry of Road, Transport and Highways, FASTag must be mounted in M and N groups of vehicles beginning January 1, 2021. Any car identified without a sticker would be charged double the toll fee to access highways.

As per official reports, state governments are working on outreach initiatives to maintain a more effective FASTag rollout on state highways.

What is FASTag and how does it work?

FASTag, an electronic toll collection system, is operated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHAI). FASTag is a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag that is attached to the windscreen of vehicles. They have no expiration date and can thus be used indefinitely as long as they are legible and can be recognized at toll booths. They have a 5-year validity period where after they must be recharged.

Since fees are deducted from the prepaid or bank account while the vehicle is in motion, vehicles fitted with FASTag do not need to stop at toll gates. This indicates the toll collection will be done electronically.

The benefits of FASTag

For several years, FASTags have been used in toll collection, replacing a dual collection model. One lane was set aside on the toll plaza for both cash and tag payments. Long queues, traffic congestion, and increased fuel usage resulted as a result of this. Once FASTags are installed in all vehicles, it would be easier to travel through toll plazas, resulting in lower fuel emissions that are harmful to the atmosphere, since a vehicle operating at its peak speed is considerably more effective than one idled, as is often the case at toll plazas due to long queues. Lessening carbon emissions also means saving money on fuel as well as paper, since there will be no need for toll receipts.

The success of FASTags

Since its inception, the NHAI has released over 1.55 crore FASTags and is now witnessing over four million daily transactions as of February 2020. This has enabled users of FASTags on the highways to travel quickly and without hassle. The decision has also ushered in a new era of accountability in highway toll collection.

However, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) announced that it has collected Rs 20 crore in fines from defaulters who entered FASTag-enabled electronic toll plazas without the tag, as of February 2020. Toll plazas have been required to collect twice the applicable toll amount from vehicles that reach a FASTag-enabled toll lane without the tag since then.

Since its inception, the NHAI has released over 1.55 crore FASTags and has witnessed over four million trajectories.

Apart from opting for FASTags, another point to tick off your travelling checklist is car insurance. Car insurance ensures you and your family are thoroughly protected as you traverse the length and breadth of India.