Who doesn't like road trips? All of us do! Exploring new cities and learning new cultures give us a broader perspective. While travelling by road, you might have come across these toll plazas established by the government that takes toll fees for the maintenance of these roads. We all know that stopping by these toll plaza and searching for the exact change is a hassle and breaks the rhythm of our trip. To make the charade real-time and smooth, the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways under the National Electronic Toll Collection (NETC) program has come up with the FASTag device that enables you to make toll payments while the vehicle is waiting in the line.
From 1st December 2019, all vehicles must affix a FASTag RFID tag on the windscreen. The tag enables the customers to make toll payments directly from their account which is linked to FASTag. If you cross the toll plazas without the electronic tags, you will be charged double the toll fee. Here are a few things you should know about the FASTag rule.
How to buy FASTag ?
You can easily buy a FASTag from websites like Amazon. Apart from Amazon, it is also available at select branches of designated banks like SBI, HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, Axis Bank, etc. You can also buy it through POS counters at national highway toll plazas.
To obtain a FASTag, all you need to do is submit your KYC documents which should include
- A passport-size photograph of the vehicle owner
- Registration Certificate of the vehicle
- KYC documents of the vehicle owner.
The next step is to activate the tag by entering the details related to you and your vehicle in MY FASTag mobile app.
Price of FASTag:
FASTag is available at a one-time joining fee of ₹100, including taxes. Apart from this, you are required to give a refundable security deposit of ₹200 for car, jeep, van and should have a minimum balance of ₹100 in the tag. The security deposit can go up to ₹400 depending on the size of the vehicle.
How to recharge FASTag
To recharge, link the FASTag directly to your bank account or keep funds in the FASTag wallet. The minimal recharge sum is ₹100. You need to login to the FASTag portal with a user ID or wallet ID and password after which you will get an option of 'payment and top-up'. Select 'Recharge' and then choose the wallet id you want to add money to.
If you have provided your full KYC, you are allowed to add up to ₹1 lakh in your FASTag wallet. If you have a limited KYC, then you cannot add more than ₹10,000 at a time. You can pay for the recharges by debit card, credit card, net banking, UPI, etc.
To make the FASTags popular amongst Indians, Indian Highway Management Company Limited is offering a cash-back of 2.5% on toll payments across all NHs.
Apart from this, as per the latest Motor Vehicles Act, it is compulsory to have an active
car insurance policy while you are driving on the roads. Failing to have a car insurance policy can attract a fine of upto 4 thousand rupees. Be an informed citizen, follow the rules!
