FASTag electronic toll collection to go live on April 25

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has announced that the FASTag electronic toll collection (ETC) mechanism will be operational from April 25th. The facility will be available at 275 out of the 350 toll plazas that are present across the country. The remaining 75 toll plazas are expected to get the system within a year.

Under the FASTag mechanism, toll collection is cashless. Vehicles of FASTag users will have radio frequency identification (RFID) tags affixed on their windshields. The toll plazas will have dedicated ETC lanes called FASTag lanes, which will have colour coding for identification. These FASTag lanes will be fitted with sensors that will read the unique number on the tag and the appropriate amount as per the class of vehicle will be automatically deducted from the account of the user. SMS alerts for all toll transactions and low balance will be sent to users.

This will mean that users will not have to wait in long queues at toll plazas. It is estimated that Rs. 60,000 crore (approximately) will be saved every year due to the FASTag mechanism.

FASTags can be purchased from ICICI Bank, Axis Bank and toll plazas for a one-time charge of Rs. 200. The minimum recharge amount is set at Rs. 100, while the maximum recharge amount is Rs. 1 lakh.

The government is giving 10% cashback on all recharges done within the financial year 2016-17.

Source: Trak.in