How to zip through FASTag lanes at toll booths

 New Delhi: In line with the government’s promise of promoting digital India and to enabling hassle-free transportation, NHAI on Friday rolled out a dedicated lane for FASTag vehicles.

"NHAI achieved the first milestone in electronic toll collection when it operationalised one dedicated FASTag lane at all toll plazas from today. Now FASTag enabled vehicles can cruise through the dedicated FASTag lane without stopping at toll plazas on national highways," the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways said in a statement.

FASTag is a device that uses Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology for making toll payments directly from the prepaid account linked to it. It is affixed on the windscreen of a vehicle and enables you to drive through toll plazas without stopping for payment.

FASTag has five-year validity and after purchasing it, one need only recharge as per one's requirement.

In August, NHAI had launched two mobile applications for obtaining FASTags. According to a report in PTI, the government of India has mandated that new vehicles being sold October 1, 2017 onwards will be affixed with active FASTag.

"NHAI officers have been tasked to visit toll plazas personally and ensure operationalisation of single dedicated electronic toll collection lane. NHAI plans that as penetration of FASTag increases, more and more lanes will dedicated to ETC," the statement said.

So how does one obtain a FASTag?

1. FASTag has a one time fee of  Rs 200.

2. Customers can visit any of the Point of Sale (POS) locations at Toll Plazas or Issuer Agency to get their FASTag account activated. A list of POS locations is available here.

3. One may require Registration Certificate (RC) of the vehicle, passport size photograph of oneself/owner and KYC documents as per the category of the vehicle owner (Any 1 of these will suffice - Driving License, PAN Card Passport, Voter ID Card and Aaadhar Card).

How does one know how and when the money gets debited?

Customers will receive an SMS with the details to their registered mobile numbers as soon as the toll transaction takes place.

How is the payment made?

Issuer Agency will electronically deduct the applicable toll fee from the customer’s account linked to the FASTag. One should make sure that one’s account is adequately funded. One may occasionally recharge it from time to time up to Rs 1 lakh.