FASTag on vehicles mandatory now: How to not pay double toll fees

The government has made FASTag mandatory on vehicles from February 15 and any vehicle without an RFID sticker will have to pay double the fees to cross electronic toll plazas. All lanes on national highways in the country are now FASTag lanes and while cash payment is still possible, a driver will have to shell out double the fees.

The best and most obvious way of avoiding double toll fees is to have a FASTag installed on a vehicle and to ensure that it has enough funds. "As per NH Fee Rules 2008, any vehicle not fitted with FASTag or vehicle without valid, functional FASTag entering into the FASTag lane of the fee plaza shall pay a fee equivalent to two times of the fee applicable to that category," read a statement issued by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.

The ministry had mandated fitment of FASTag in M&N categories of motor vehicles with effect from January 1, 2021.

M category pertains to motor vehicles with at least four wheels and used for carrying passengers. N category is for any vehicle with at least four wheels and used to carry goods.

Buying a FASTag is a simple process. Available at booths set up next to most toll plazas in the country, the RFID sticker can also be purchased from HT Auto, or through authorized banks and e-payment portals.

A FASTag is one of several ways in which the government is looking to promote digital payments in the country. It promises to save time, fuel and money by shortening queues at toll plazas. The FASTag is scanned when a vehicle approaches a boom barrier and once the amount has been deducated, the boom barrier opens automatically.