[black_rider]

Recently did a Bangalore-Delhi-Bangalore roadtrip via Hyderabad, Nagpur, Gwalior, Agra. Most of the toll booths accept Fastag, but most of them have only hand held scanners. I have a IDFC fastag, so no discount for me. The only positive per me was cashless transaction, other than that it was as slow as paying cash, sometimes slower, because ETC lanes were blocked by traffic cones, needed to be manually opened, and tag manually scanned. On the return leg, only one toll booth had the ETC lane open, and a scanner installed in the lane itself ... it was a breeze. It will be great when all booths reach that stage.

[sumeshmani]

I have a query with regards to two-way tolls that are valid for 24 hours.
How does FasTag take care of that? Has anyone tried this out?

[binand]

Originally Posted by sumeshmani

I have a query with regards to two-way tolls that are valid for 24 hours.
How does FasTag take care of that? Has anyone tried this out?

Yep. Did a same day Chennai return trip soon after I got my tags in January. On the outbound trip, the tag account is charged the-way toll. On the return trip, the difference between the round trip toll and the one-way toll is charged.

I expect the software is prepared for monthly passes as well. :-)

[audioholic]

Originally Posted by binand

Yep. Did a same day Chennai return trip soon after I got my tags in January. On the outbound trip, the tag account is charged the-way toll. On the return trip, the difference between the round trip toll and the one-way toll is charged.

I expect the software is prepared for monthly passes as well. :-)

In ICICI website for Fastag, there is an option to apply such concession passes. I found that to be a nice implementation. You have to select the toll booth and the type of pass you want to avail(daily, monthly and so on) and recharge/debit the amount from the tag account. That will grant you the pass and it wont lead to further deductions from the tag when you pass through that specific toll.

[sumeet007]

Thanks to the detailed info shared by BHPians using Fasttag, decided to take the plunge today and had a pleasant experience so far.
Downloaded and filled the application from ICICI website and called Mr.Mohan from ICICI Fast tag who came home in the same evening and collected the form and cheque with documents.

Had a informative conversation with him regarding issues Fastag users are facing in real world. Here is what he said about some of the issues.

1. Apparently different banks who issue Fast tag have to instal their OWN scanners in the Fast tag lane and if 5 banks have issued fast tags then there are 5 scanners in the lane, which does not make any sense at all.Further he said other banks have had series of problems in their scanners reading and especially Aixs bank, many people have returned the tags and taken afresh from ICICI.

Am amazed such less thought has gone into implementing such an important part of NHAI's management of this. Why did they not think of issuing an universal TAG which ALL banks participating could issue and work seamlessly between banks. He said ICICI has covered 340 of the 370 tolls all over the country.

2. There was (and still is), lot of resistance from toll operators for Fast tag which reduced malpractices and corruption in cash transactions involving vehicle drivers and staff in short changing the system. For e.g. if a truck is liable to pay 200 Rs for the toll, they pay 100 , get the receipt for 200 and pass thru. When I asked how the receipt is generated for correct amount, he said 'it is rigged' !, thus the Govt getting less than its due share of amount. Fast tag puts an end to these malpractices, hence toll operators have a vested interest in not promoting/maintaining it or even sabotaging a working system.

3. Many truck owners have opted for this as there is no option to weigh the truck. In regular lanes, which are dedicated for trucks, there is a weighing system and overweight trucks need to pay double or more toll, which is completely avoided in Fast tag lanes.
4. He also said system in now maturing as they iron out initial glitches and acceptance from users increased after demonet., and cash back incentive.

Many of us have seen these systems work so flawlessly abroad in many countries for may be 2 decades in the least and wonder why as IT leaders we have failed to adopt the best and robust system end to end. In city like Singapore once you enter city centre and other designated areas, auto debit of amount happens in fraction of a second so seamlessly that you may not even notice, except for the device showing such amount is deducted. I have not even seen Cars required to slow or even go in dedicated lanes for this purpose.Am sure London and Paris with their 'congestion' tax would have implemented such systems too.

Right from how easy it is to get the Fast tag to the way it is implemented to the system chosen there are so many flaws which if corrected would significantly enhance our high way driving experience and add to the coffers of the Govt.

[ajayclicks]

Originally Posted by sumeet007

Am amazed such less thought has gone into implementing such an important part of NHAI's management of this. Why did they not think of issuing an universal TAG which ALL banks participating could issue and work seamlessly between banks.

Not only this, the Government has mandated that auto manufacturers paste an RIFD chip on the windscreen, even that is not being utilized.

[Jaggu]

Had a weekend drive from Bangalore to Vagamon and back, onward journey fast tag lanes would have been useful since it was thin traffic. We started at 1.45 pm from bangalore. My friend got exited and even went and inquired the process to procure card at Krishnagiri toll plaza.

But on the return trip (we started by about 10.45 am from vagamon) drive back was almost in peak hours and that too on weekend. Realized that almost all tolls we moved faster paying the toll manually, compared to folks who were using fast tag. a) The lane is second one from the left side in most tolls which makes it a very difficult lane to access in peak traffic and is announced only when you reach the toll. b) The system is anything but automatic and completely dependent on how other road users are aware and follow the right lane and also the check point person at the entrance of the particular lane.

Few easy changes can fix this issue to a great extent i think. Have the lane moved to right extreme aka fast lane for private and smaller commercial vehicles. Have separate ones next to that for heavy vehicles. Display the lane identification along with the regular toll gate signage's that are usually there about 500 mts from the gate.

For now i feel the advantage is limited to off peak travel from time saving perspective.

[smnrock]

Originally Posted by sumeet007

Apparently different banks who issue Fast tag have to instal their OWN scanners in the Fast tag lane and if 5 banks have issued fast tags then there are 5 scanners in the lane

I don't think this is true. All the banks who issue RFID tags should follow certain technical requirements given by Govt and these tags are centrally registered at NETC system. Almost similar to UPI, all the toll transactions happens through NPCI's NETC system.

[RedOne]

Originally Posted by hrman

Were you able to get the Tag?

Yes finally got it done. Initially, I too got a message that account was created but could not log in. Mine was activated after 2-3 weeks.

I was planning a trip to Goa with a friend so suggested to him also to get a fastag done and given my experience, asked him to go to Devanahalli toll and get it done. He got the tag and had it activated in under half an hour!

gears,
Red-One.

[smnrock]

ICICI Fastag portal added option of ICICI retail netbanking as well which is having zero convenience fee.

[null]

Happened to see misuse of fasttag lane priority by a taxi guy yesterday at the tollgate near tumkur.

The toll guy was using a barricade to block the vehicles coming into the fast tag lane (way behind the actual gate) and using a manual scanner. Most of the trucks were scanned & they were let to pass. The smart guys of B'lore (without fast tag of course) were forced into my lane (hence I could watch what was happening - as my lane was not moving ahead because of them).

A taxi guy came into the Fast Tag lane. He did not have Fast Tag. He gave the money to the guy who was scanning. He rejected it initially. The driver added some more money (more notes - by taking it from someone in the car) & gave it to the toll guy. He pocketed the money & opened the barricade for the taxi guy to pass.

I wanted to get down and question this, but my lane had started moving already & people behind started honking for me to move. My mother forced me not to get into any altercations at night and hence had to let go.

So, its time to take off these manual scanners. I want to write a complaint of this incident to respective authorities. Does it come under the NHAI responsibilities or some other department?

PS: Complaining to NHAI does not help. I have complained about closed lanes, even when there is a huge pile up of traffic, and they come up with some vague responses. Final conclusion they gave was the toll lane was under maintenance & nothing more could be said then.

[hserus]

Use the central grievance portal and give specifics such as the approximate date / time / tollgate etc. That goes to secretary level officers, and I guess at least one tollgate attendant is out of a job. Possibly a cabbie arrested too.

[mjumrani]

Originally Posted by null

PS: Complaining to NHAI does not help. I have complained about closed lanes, even when there is a huge pile up of traffic, and they come up with some vague responses. Final conclusion they gave was the toll lane was under maintenance & nothing more could be said then.

Write a complaint here Centralized Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System (CPGRAMS)

They take time to reply but it does work. I have raised complaint about Devanahalli toll plaza not accepting fastags, allowing non fastag cars in fastag lane and giving vague reasons for non operational system.

[skpower]

To have peace of mind, finally decided to take Fast-tag instead of waiting in long queue daily. My daily commutation is from Marthahalli to E-City Phase II. Went to E-City elevated highway office on 5th April around 4:30 PM and found only IDFC bank agents are present that day. I was little hesitant to go with IDFC bank tag after seeing some bad reviews here but still gathered courage to go with them.

Submitted filled form with supporting documents and Rs. 500/- cash to them. Received two separate confirmation messages from IDFC regarding the account creation/ activation by end of next day, 6th April. On 7th I went there again to collect the tag and the tag was fixed by them in car's windshield from inside. Tag was put to test on the same day and found it is working without any issues.

Till now no issues faced by this IDFC Fast-tag and even their dedicated help line number is responding well.

Today, when I was returning from Blr Airport after dropping my wife and son for an early morning flight, marked FastTag lane is red and no one is taking that lane. I checked with security and he asked me to proceed on that lane after seeing my RFID tag. The tag reader was not working and had to divert to the adjacent lane from the middle of the Fast-tag lane. The operator allowed me without asking me any cash after informing him about my tag.

[kalyan_hyd]

Originally Posted by sumeet007

Am amazed such less thought has gone into implementing such an important part of NHAI's management of this. Why did they not think of issuing an universal TAG which ALL banks participating could issue and work seamlessly between banks. He said ICICI has covered 340 of the 370 tolls all over the country.

Originally Posted by ajayclicks

Not only this, the Government has mandated that auto manufacturers paste an RIFD chip on the windscreen, even that is not being utilized.

Originally Posted by smnrock

I don't think this is true. All the banks who issue RFID tags should follow certain technical requirements given by Govt and these tags are centrally registered at NETC system. Almost similar to UPI, all the toll transactions happens through NPCI's NETC system.

Yes, GOI and NHAI has come-up with a specification for all vehicles in India to have an in-built RFID from the manufacturer and that the same be used for Toll charges across the nation. Even the Honorable Supreme Court and some High Courts in the NCR region have directed the Toll companies to look into the possibility of e-tolls. I think its just a matter of time before these integrations are done and most toll charging is done via the tags.

I think it would be another year or more before the ease of using FastTag kicks in with all its pace. Think of the usage of ATMs in their induction phase. My mother used to prefer going to a bank for a long long time.

If an IOT company is listening to these comments and observing the traffic patterns on our highways be intra-city, inter-city(ORR etc), this I believe is a huge opportunity akin to that of e-payments like PayTM, etc.