The days when you could simply flash the FASTag at the toll booth instead of affixing it to the car’s front windshield are over. As per the latest guidelines from the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), vehicles without a FASTag on their windshield will be charged double the toll fee by booth operators. FASTags became mandatory in February 2021, with the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) specifying that the RFID-enabled barcode sticker must be prominently placed on the front windscreen.
FASTag: Double Trouble
MoRTH has released a statement highlighting that FASTags are not only compulsory but must also be prominently displayed on the vehicle’s windshield to allow toll booth operators to scan the barcode easily. Strict measures will be enforced against vehicles lacking FASTags, as their absence slows down the toll collection process.
Additionally, the policy of one FASTag per vehicle will be rigorously enforced; non-compliance will result in the vehicle being charged double the toll fee and the owner facing blacklisting. In such cases, the electronic toll collection system will not process the transaction. CCTV cameras at toll booths are set to record the vehicle registration numbers of cars without FASTags. The statement also mandates that banks issuing FASTags must ensure their clear placement on the front windshield.
Currently, there are over 8 crore FASTag users and has a penetration rate of around 98 per cent. NHAI collects tolls on national highways under the National Highway Fee (Determination of Rates and Collection) Rules, 2008. There are over 1,000 toll plazas for about 45,000 km of national highways and expressways across the country.