TIRUCHY: FASTag, which was supposed to reduce waiting time at toll plazas, is yet to make an impact in Tiruchy.
Sources said the system has a few technical glitches which left motorists exasperated. Added to this, there are complaints not enough was being done to create awareness about the new system.
The Union government earlier this year made it mandatory for all vehicles using toll plazas to be fixed with FASTag cards. With the scheme coming into effect from December 15, it has received varied opinions among motorists.
While frequent travellers including private bus operators welcome the decision, others regret the introduction saying it has turned travel complicated.
“The fastag scheme is ambiguous. We submitted all our documents and purchased the card, but when I tried using it at the toll plaza it said my card was blacklisted. After much arguments, I had to pay double the fare to cross the plaza”, said, Shanmugam, a Tiruchy resident.
On the other hand, motorists who are yet to purchases these cards are in a fix as highway authorities were yet to create designated lanes for cash transactions.
“It took me more than 20 minutes to cross the toll plaza as there was no directions on which lane to be used for paying through cash. Authorities need to deploy few volunteers to guide the motorist, as the entire
scheme is a little complicated. Frequent travellers may find this scheme very convenient. But for others it is just added headache?”, expressed Chandramouli, a motorist at the Thuvakudi Toll Plaza.
More than 60 per cent of transactions are in cash, according to officials. A senior official in NHAI said they were making arrangements to create at least two cash transactions lanes in each toll plaza. The fastag cards get blacklisted, if the user tries to use them before the providers activates them. Users can retrieve their cards by contacting the service provider from where they purchased, he explained.
