FASTag is mandatory for highway travel from January 1; here's all you need to know

Union minister for road transport, highways, and MSMEs Nitin Gadkari mandated the NETC or National Electronic Toll Collection FASTags for all motor vehicles from January 1, 2021. FASTags are a contactless electronic mode of toll payment at the highways. While the transport ministry pushed to mandate the FASTags last year, the reluctance among motor vehicle drivers led to the deferral of the protocol which will now be effective across India in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and make passage of the vehicle at highway toll more convenient. 

What are FASTags and how to get one?

National Electronic Toll Collection FASTag is an electronic system of pay designed by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) that employs advanced RFID technology to make toll transactions without having to pay in cash or physically with cards. The vehicles registered for FASTag will be provided with a sticker that can be stuck on the car’s windshield. The sticker is RFID enabled and has a barcode that can be scanned via FASTag readers at toll plaza across India’s national highways. The authorities can get all the details related to the vehicle via this scan and the toll payment is made electronically from the prepaid balance. 

The drivers are urged to recharge the FASTag either at the 720 toll plazas installed across the national highways or via online payment methods such as Paytm. One can collect the FASTags at their local bank’s branch. The FASTags are violable with HDFC Bank, Axis Bank, ICICI Bank, Kotak Bank, Paytm Payments Bank, and IDFC First Bank. One needs to provide the photo identification and car registration documents and other mandatory KYC procedure documents to collect the FASTags at the toll plaza of any highway in India. Drivers can also make a purchase from Amazon. in, or at the nearest local bank, including Paytm bank. 

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Cost, Recharge, and validity 

As all highways will be FASTag-enabled effective 1 January, at least 70 percent of motorists have already registered their vehicles, according to the ministry for road transport. Those who have obtained their FASTags stickers for four-wheeler such as the car, truck, jeep, lorries, bus, etc can recharge it online with Paytm, internet banking, credit or debit cards, or UPI, in the bank with wallet pay, or simply at the toll plaza. The FASTag’s estimated cost differs on each seller platform that collects security deposits and the charges combined. A car FASTag can be purchased from Paytm at the cost of Rs 500, of which Rs 250 is the refundable security deposit.

The banks are charging issuance fees separately, along with security deposit and the deposit which is expected to cost nearly Rs. 500. The FASTag will remain valid for 5 years from the date of issuance. As per the National Highways Fee (Determination of Rates and Collection) Rules 2008 toll plazas will reserve lanes for FASTags users from January 1 onwards. Those who haven’t registered will be directed to the plaza center to avail the stickers. A minimum of Rs. 150 balance has to be maintained on FASTags at all times. 

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