No valid FASTag ? Pay double the toll in Hyderabad

After the implementation of FASTag, time saved per transaction was about six seconds. Around 1.30 lakh vehicles travel on the ORR daily.
A private bus entering the fastag lane at a toll plaza. (Photo | EPS)
A private bus entering the fastag lane at a toll plaza. (Photo | EPS)

HYDERABAD: The Hyderabad Growth Corridor Limited (HGCL), a wing of Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA), will tighten regulations pertaining to payment of toll fee through FASTags on the Outer Ring Road (ORR) from Monday, June 1. 

To encourage more commuters to use FASTag and minimise gas emission at the 19 toll plazas on the ORR, the HGCL will slap double charges if Non-FASTag and invalid FASTag users enter dedicated FASTag lanes. FASTag transactions on the ORR have increased to 60,000 per day.

The HGCL has urged people using ORR to avoid cash transactions. Those who do not have FASTag facility may opt for digital payments like Google Pay, Phone Pe, Paytym, debit or credit cards etc. This would reduce physical contact keeping in view the Covid threat. Dedicated FASTag lanes occupy 50 per cent of the lanes at all toll plazas to facilitate seamless movement of FASTag vehicles. However, some vehicles without FASTags enter the lanes, causing inconvenience.

To encourage use of FASTags, the ICICI Bank has begun issuing free FASTags to all users at Nanakramguda, Peddamberpet, Patancheru, Medchal, Shamshabad, Keesara, Shameerpet, Bonguluru, Kokapet, Rajendranagar from Saturday. 

After the implementation of FASTag, time saved per transaction was about six seconds. Around 1.30 lakh vehicles travel on the ORR daily. The total cumulative time saved per day is estimated to be about 110 man hours. Payment of toll through RFID-based FASTag was introduced by the Central government to reduce long queues near toll gates. It was adopted by HGCL for ORR last year. The tags enable automatic online deduction of toll through radio frequency identification, without the riders having to stop near the gates for payment. 

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