[Lambydude]

Is there a minimum balance after which your fastag reads Invalid?
I drive from Bangalore to Trivandrum last week and had added 1000 rs before the trip. Trip went smoothly till Trivandrum. While coming back to Calicut near Thrissur, the fastag scanner was displaying "invalid". The attendant said that it could be because of insufficient balance but my account had 271 Rs at that time. It still has Rs. 271 as balance.
I wonder what went wrong?

[Aditya_Bhp]

Originally Posted by Lambydude

I wonder what went wrong?

Is it the Paliyekara toll booth you are referring to? Fastag never works perfectly there. The overhead scanners do not work most of the times, and manual scanning is done. Sometimes, even that doesn't work. Hence they give excuses such as this.

[BaCkSeAtDrIVeR]

Originally Posted by rajivtelang

At one place the operator did not open the gate so I backed a bit and moved ahead. There was a display "Tag already scanned" and there was no double deduction and the gate was opened. This means the system is already tested for such cases.

Going by posts here, we were believing that a tag can get deducted twice if you tailgate the vehicle ahead. This means tailgating is not the reason for double deduction.

Originally Posted by risga

On your return did you by any chance cross the toll post midnight. The return discount is only valid till midnight and not 24 hours. Another user on this thread had a similar complaint, and when he raised it with the authorities, they checked and reverted with the time of crossing.

On a related note, since the machine is automatically doing the deductions, the 24 hour return rule ought to be implemented instead of till midnight same day.

Well, the rule does say that return fares are valid for 24 hours. Whether it is manual or tag.

Originally Posted by Lambydude

Is there a minimum balance after which your fastag reads Invalid?
I drive from Bangalore to Trivandrum last week and had added 1000 rs before the trip. Trip went smoothly till Trivandrum. While coming back to Calicut near Thrissur, the fastag scanner was displaying "invalid". The attendant said that it could be because of insufficient balance but my account had 271 Rs at that time. It still has Rs. 271 as balance.
I wonder what went wrong?

Please see previous pages. Answers range from - 15 (negative fifteen) to 200. 271 is more than adequate balance for a Rs 75 toll. Which lane was this? On Sunday, had passed this toll, and the mess drove us to lane 3 in Trichur direction, which was a hybrid lane. When the tag on windshield was pointed out, they used a hand held scanner. On return, in Ernakulam direction, used lane 1 without a hitch. I think none of lanes have the automated barrier. (At Aroor too, I think there are no automatic barriers).

Who provided the tag?

[diyguy]

Is there a way to collect a fastag from a bank for immediate use? My wind shield was changed and my original ICICI tag was destroyed in that. I called phone support in August and asked for a replacement and was told will get it in two weeks but it has never come. Last night I finally closed that account and now want a new one, if possible, immediate.

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by diyguy

Is there a way to collect a fastag from a bank for immediate use? My wind shield was changed and my original ICICI tag was destroyed in that. I called phone support in August and asked for a replacement and was told will get it in two weeks but it has never come. Last night I finally closed that account and now want a new one, if possible, immediate.

Most toll booths are selling tags. When I drove to Ahmedabad, nearly every toll booth had POS stalls set up and numerous signage like this:



Since I notice your location as Chennai, I am sure booths along Bangalore route would surely be selling them.

[Lambydude]

Originally Posted by BaCkSeAtDrIVeR

. Which lane was this? On Sunday, had passed this toll, and the mess drove us to lane 3 in Trichur direction, which was a hybrid lane. When the tag on windshield was pointed out, they used a hand held scanner. On return, in Ernakulam direction, used lane 1 without a hitch. I think none of lanes have the automated barrier. (At Aroor too, I think there are no automatic barriers).

Who provided the tag?

Fastag is from HDFC
I was going towards trissur from EKM on Sunday and I took the fastag express lane (orange colour) which is automated. However, there are people monitoring the lane in case someone gets stuck. Those guys pointed out that the scanner display says invalid, which I also noticed. They moved the barricade and allowed me to move to the next lane as they can't manually open the boom barrier in this automated lane.
In the other lane, I could pass through but no amount got deducted which makes me wonder if I tailgated the vehicles in front OR if the amount got deducted from the vehicles behind me. Totally clueless on what happened.

[rajivtelang]

Originally Posted by BaCkSeAtDrIVeR

Going by posts here, we were believing that a tag can get deducted twice if you tailgate the vehicle ahead. This means tailgating is not the reason for double deduction.

Well, I still recommend keeping 10 feet or so between vehicles and proceeding only when the bar falls down after passsge of vehicle ahead of you. Not sure if there is any timeout after tag scan and in that case double deduction cannot be ruled out completely.
Anyways the average time you spend now at a toll gate is hardly 20% compared to what was there earlier. So I do not mind waiting until the next vehicle clears through the tag sensor.

[diyguy]

In a country that is implementing new systems and infrastructure for the first time, it is unfortunate that our government is installing outdated hardware and technology. Instead of taking advantage of new technology that is proven in other countries we implement systems that force users to slow down at tolls and keep distance etc, doesn't make sense. It's not like our country cannot afford these systems to enable foolproof and high speed toll transit.

[Samurai]

Originally Posted by risga

On your return did you by any chance cross the toll post midnight. The return discount is only valid till midnight and not 24 hours.
.
.
.
On a related note, since the machine is automatically doing the deductions, the 24 hour return rule ought to be implemented instead of till midnight same day.

The very first time I tried return fare, I returned after midnight. I did get return fare, and not one way fare in both the toll booths. So it is already implemented. But different toll booths may have different systems.

[kbiswal]

Originally Posted by risga

On your return did you by any chance cross the toll post midnight. The return discount is only valid till midnight and not 24 hours. Another user on this thread had a similar complaint, and when he raised it with the authorities, they checked and reverted with the time of crossing.

On a related note, since the machine is automatically doing the deductions, the 24 hour return rule ought to be implemented instead of till midnight same day.

No. My onward trip was at 10:42 AM and return trip (after pick up) was at 12:05 PM. When I raised a complaint at ICICI they said there seems to be a malfunction of the scanner system and they will look into it.

[Comrade]

Just completed 12 days trip from Hyderabad to Rajasthan and back. Fastag worked flawlessly at every booth. However, toll plaza operators are messing up fastag implementation with weak sensors, hybrid lanes etc.

At one of the plazas in Rajasthan, they only had hybrid lanes. The car ahead of me was paying cash, and my wife didn't maintain the one truck distance. Our tag was read ahead of our turn. When our turn came, the sensor refused to reread the tag (maybe they put logic not to reread same tag twice). I had to argue with the guy for few minutes while line grew and next cars grew impatient. I didn't have a choice but had to pay cash, and then raise a complaint for double charge with fastag provider (paytm).

At another toll plaza in KA, I drove slowly till the booth operator. Then slowly drove the car till boom barrier. But the tag was not read. I had to reverse the car, and while reversing the tag was read. Attributed it to weak sensor.

At another toll plaza in RJ, the toll operator was cleaning all the windshields in our lane (tags were not being read without this) and was shouting out loud that they have implemented a lousy system.

[audioholic]

I faced this issue of delayed tag read in many toll booths on my Celerio whereas in the same booths I did not face issues in the SX4. The tag was placed in the same places in either car and the main difference being the Celerio having a factory pasted RFID tag which was useless from day one except for the service center to read my car details during service which is not my concern. Hence I did the honors of cutting the tag across the antenna and the chip. Lets see if this makes a difference to the detection of the Fastag. I did not peel off the tag since above it I have a strip of black film pasted.

[AdiSinghV12]

A very happy new year to all you folks! Here’s my first post of this year with an important query

I just installed Fast tag on my 2017 XF Portfolio which has something called “Solar Attenuating Windshield” and it DIDNT get recognised anywhere, not even with the handheld scanner. After some online research I come across this but I feel ‘this’ area in my windshield is pretty small Shall I try placing Fast tag vertically ? What options do I have ?

[Comrade]

Originally Posted by AdiSinghV12

Shall I try placing Fast tag vertically ? What options do I have ?

Here is what I know. There are two components in the tag. RFID transponder (black chip) at the center and antenna (silver/aluminum pattern). Ideally both need to be in that non-blocking region of the windshield but if thats not possible, make sure the chip is in that region with maximum antenna coverage. Placing tag vertically should not be a worry if that ensures max coverage for antenna.

Also service center may have experience with these queries from other owners. So just consult them once.

Edit: may be you can experiment the tag placement. If you have already stuck the tag to windshield permanently then you need to order a replacement. When replacement comes, dont peel the paper protecting the sticky side. Just place the tag in position with a tape and see if it works. If it works, then you can stick it permanently.

Edit2: I had similar experience with Tesla Model S in the US. Tesla later on modified the windshield to have small non-blocking region but earlier versions of the windshield were completely blocking. What we used to do was place the transponder in front truck (frunk) and it used to work perfectly even with aluminum bonnet blocking the direct view. So may be you stick it from outside? Or place it inconspicuously? But I guess that would pose a challenge when they need to use handheld scanners.

[KiloAlpha]

I ordered my Fastag through Kotak Mahindra Bank - simply because I have my salary account with them. It was a bit delayed arriving, and came the same day I gave my car for service and minor bodywork. The envelope containing the tag was lying unopened for 5 days.

Yesterday, I attached the tag to the windscreen, logged in to the portal, and recharged my wallet with Rs.500. Today, I went for a short drive with my family to have lunch at a restaurant just past the Airport (I live in Bangalore). I crossed toll booths both while going and while returning. I did not get any SMS confirming toll being deducted from my wallet.
So I logged in to the portal, and my account balance is intact! Not a single rupee has been deducted!

Should I be worried, or should I be happy?