FASTag - A New Way to Pay Toll Online in India

By siliconindia  |  Friday, 22 November 2019, 11:47:39 AM IST

FASTag - A New Way to Pay Toll Online in India

In India, highways spanning a whopping 1.4 lakh km come under the prerogative of NHAI (National Highway Authority of India). Out of this, 24,996 km of expressways are currently under the toll ambit. To expedite toll payment across the country, the Government of India, in collaboration with the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), has developed the National Electronic Toll Collection (NETC) program.

Under this program, the Government has introduced FASTag. It’s a unique payment mode, a reloadable tag, which is an interoperable nationwide toll payment solution. Customers can use FASTag to pay toll at any of the toll plazas across the country. It also offers several benefits to consumers, such as the convenience of cashless payment, better fuel efficiency, and time-saving.

Currently, the FASTag program is live on more than 450 toll plazas across India. Let us take a look at what exactly is FASTag payment solution, and how does it work.

FASTag is essentially an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) device that helps make toll payments automatic when your vehicle crosses a toll plaza. Once affixed to the windscreen of your car, it allows you to make toll payments from your FASTag account.

The best part? You can purchase FASTag from any of the NETC Member Banks. All you need to do is to recharge your prepaid FASTag account and enjoy a hassle-free travel experience through several national and state highways in India.

Keep in mind that it is crucial for you to maintain sufficient balance before you embark on a journey through the highways. This will ensure you enjoy brake-free rides without stopping to pay the toll fare in cash.

FASTag will become mandatory for all vehicles starting from December 1, 2019, as announced earlier this month by Road Transport and Highways Minister of our country, Nitin Gadkari.

No matter which vehicle you have, be it commercial or private, you must have FASTag attached to it to make contactless payments at toll plazas. Here is how FASTag will make things easier for you:

  • It will help you save fuel.
  • It will provide a secure, interoperable framework that you can use across the country.
  • It will allow electronification of retail payments.
  • It will reduce cash handling needs.

Here are some of the key features of FASTag:

Interoperability

FASTag supports multiple acquirers and issuers. Under the NETC program, you can buy a FASTag issued by any member bank safely and securely, which is accepted at all toll plazas in India.

Time Savings

If you are using FASTag, you don’t have to stop at any toll plaza, and there’s no need to slow down for payments while passing through. This will save your precious time. Since you can easily pay toll tax without waiting queues, it also results in reduced congestion around toll plazas.

Flexibility to choose the underlying payment instrument

You can link your FASTag to your existing savings/current account or open a prepaid FASTag account in one of the member banks. To open a FASTag account, it is not necessary that you have an existing relationship with the chosen bank.

Embrace the Future of Road Travel with a FASTag!

According to the NPCI, 9.67 lakh transactions took place daily in September 2019 via FASTags across all toll plazas on national highways in India. It accumulated to 34% of the total transactions done by vehicles on the national highways during that time.

All this confirms that FASTag is the perfect solution for you to enjoy a smooth trip on national highways. Since it is already operational at around 400 toll plazas across various state and national highways, buy a FASTag for your vehicle and experience the difference.

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