FASTag users may soon have double toll as penalty. Here is why

Vehicles without FASTags pasted on windscreen will now have to pay double the toll amount as the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) came out with new guidelines on toll collection. FASTag, an RFID-based toll collection system introduced three years ago, is mandatory for all vehicles to pass toll plazas on national highways. The NHAI said vehicles without FASTags fixed on windscreen cause delay at the toll plazas and cause inconvenience for others. All toll plazas across national highways in India are soon going to implement the new guideline.

The NHAI crackdown on those who do not affix FASTag stickers on their vehicle's windscreen comes amid complaints of the electronic toll collection system not helping to ease delay and congestion at toll plazas. Vehicle owners are often seen holding up the FASTag sticker at toll gate to pay fee. Unless held up properly, the cameras installed at toll gates to read FASTag cannot operate. Toll workers will then have to manually scan them with handguns to charge toll.

Why vehicle owners do not affix FASTag on windscreen

There are several reasons behind why some vehicle owners do not affix FASTag stickers on windscreen. While some admit that they are averse to the idea of crowding the windscreen with stickers, others have been using multiple FASTags for different vehicles. The NHAI aims to stop the practice by charging double the toll fee from vehicles. It also said such vehicles can be blacklisted. "Detailed Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) has been issued to all User Fee Collection Agencies and Concessionaires to charge double user fee in case of non-affixation of FASTag on the front windshield," it said in the release that was issued on Thursday (July18).

The NHAI has also asked tool plazas on national highways to prominently display the guideline for users. The highway agency also said that vehicles without affixed FASTag on windscreen will be captured through CCTVs installed at toll gates to maintain record for further proceedings. The NHAI hopes the move will help to ease traffic at toll gates further.

FASTag to be soon replaced with this new toll collection technology

The Centre is planning to implement GPS-based toll collection technology across national highways soon which will eventually render physical toll plazas redundant. Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said the upcoming Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS)-based toll management will not only help ease traffic flow at toll plazas but will also increase the earnings for NHAI by at least ₹10,000 crore. The new toll collection system has already been implemented on pilot basis at some of the national highways.

The NHAI will set up virtual toll booths to track vehicles entering and exiting the tolled sections of the highways. As the vehicles will pass through these virtual toll booths, the GNSS-based system will automatically be triggered to collect the toll and will deduct the toll fee based on distance travelled straight from the users' bank account. Initially, the NHAI will keep dedicated lanes for GNSS-based toll collections along with existing FASTag-only lanes. Eventually, all lanes at toll gates will be converted to GNSS lanes.

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