Government extends deadline for mandatory FASTags to December 15
FASTag-enabled payment is currently available at over 450 toll plazas across national and state highways.
by ET Online
The transport ministry has extended the December 1 deadline for 100% electronic toll collection across National Highways in the country by two weeks. (December 15). This comes as the government wants to allow a 15 days’ breather for vehicle owners to switch to FASTags, senior officials aware of the development told ET.
FASTag is a sticker that has to be put at the front windshield of your vehicle. This sticker becomes the radio frequency identity of your car which is automatically read by the sensors placed at the toll plazas.
In a letter sent to the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), in July this year, the highways ministry had asked for conversion of all toll lanes at all national highways to 'FASTag lanes', a move that will make travel through toll plazas seamless and also remove congestion.
FASTag-enabled payment is currently available at over 450 toll plazas across national and state highways. A complete list of FAStag-enabled toll plazas is available on the National Payments Corporation of India website — npci.org.in/netc.
FASTag employs radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology to help recognise the passing of a vehicle along with details such as the vehicle class and the status of the tag. At the back-end, it is connected to your bank account or wallet to enable automatic deduction of charges. The RFID-based FASTag affixed on the windscreen of the vehicle allows for direct payment of fee from the prepaid or savings account linked to it, and enables vehicles to drive through toll plazas without stopping for transactions.
Banks issuing FASTags
FASTags are issued by 23 certified banks including some small finance banks, payments banks and co-operative banks . The list of banks is available in the NPCI website. FAStags can also be obtained from select toll plazas, petrol pumps, RTOs, or online at Amazon. Another way to get it is to download the MyFASTag app (available for Android and iPhone) and then proceed to either buy from the banks or at Amazon through the app.
Service Providers
The service provider will also have to set up a system to resolve customer complaints or queries online. Only owners of cars, utility vehicles, vans and other light motor vehicles will be allowed to buy FASTags online. It has been specified in the bid document that the service provider shall not sell FASTags “in bulk to any single customer or a group of customers.” The tag must be delivered within seven days of a customer placing the order. The service provider must also provide a daily.
(With inputs from Nishtha Saluja)