Automatic toll payment FASTags mandatory from December: Centre

The tags can be bought at all toll plazas, online markets and at issuer agencies. Some banks, including SBI, HDFC and ICICI, have enquiry forms that can be filled up online.
File photo of a toll plaza (EPS)
File photo of a toll plaza (EPS)

NEW DELHI: The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, in a bid to reduce congestion at toll plazas on national highways, on Monday said that FASTags would be made mandatory starting December 1, 2019.

The FASTags were introduced in 2014 and are used for automatic payment of toll without the need to stop. The FASTag system uses RFID technology to deduct the toll from accounts of FASTag holders.

The tags are fixed on the windshield of cars.

According to the ministry, non-FASTag users will be charged double the fee if they pass through these lanes in accordance with the National Highway Fee (Determination of Rates and Collection) Rules, 2008.

The FASTag system promotes faster, digital payment of toll fees, allows seamless movement of vehicles and helps prevent traffic jams.

All four-wheelers manufactured and sold from December 1, 2017 come pre-fitted with FASTags. Initially, there will be one hybrid lane at every toll plaza to facilitate over-sized vehicles, which will accept FASTag and other payment modes.

These lanes will eventually be converted into FASTag lanes to make all toll barriers completely cashless.

The tags can be bought at all toll plazas, online markets and at issuer agencies. Some banks, including SBI, HDFC and ICICI, have enquiry forms that can be filled up online. Once a query is generated, customers can visit the office to fill up a mandatory form and submit all the necessary documents to create a FASTag account.

Documents needed

A vehicle registration certificate, Know Your Customer (KYC) documents of the owner — Aadhaar card, PAN card, driving license, and a passport-size photograph of the customer.

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