Union Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari on Thursday said that FASTag will be made mandatory for all vehicles from 1 December 2019.
Addressing a press conference at Transport Bhawan, he said: “Currently, Fastag is being installed for free. The security price of Fastag is Rs 150 but will be given free till December 1.”
Union Minister for @MORTHIndia & MSME, Shri Nitin Gadkari said that NHAI FASTag is available free of cost till 1st December 2019 & Rs.150 as security deposit will be borne by NHAI. @nhidcl @MORTHRoadSafety @PIB_India @nhidcl @nitin_gadkari @Gen_VKSingh #DigitalPayments #FASTag pic.twitter.com/DAkEmi85BF
— Indian Highways Management Company Ltd. (@ihmcl_official) November 21, 2019
He further said that the government is giving 150 rupees security money. There are a total of 527 toll plazas on national highways in the country, out of which all the lanes of 380 toll plazas have been equipped with FASTag. The remaining lanes are also being equipped with FASTag. After December 1, it will take money to take it, he added.
What is Fastag? – FASTag is a prepaid tag facility for vehicles, which allows you to drive on toll plazas without stopping and losing time. It uses radio frequency identification (RFID).
FASTags are part of the National Electronic Toll Collection (NETC) program developed by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI).
How to buy FASTag?
FASTags are issued by 22 certified banks through various channels such as Point-of-Sale (POS) at National Highway toll plazas and select bank branches. They are also available on the e-commerce platform such as Amazon. After buying the FASTag, you need to activate it to make it functional at the toll plaza.
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How to activate your FASTag?
a) Self-Activation: FASTags are ‘bank-neutral’, that is, no bank is pre-assigned to the FASTag at the time you purchase it from a POS terminal or online platform. The online FASTag is based on the concept of DIY (Do-It-Yourself) where you can self-activate it by entering vehicle details in the ‘My FASTag’ mobile app.
Android smartphone users can download the My FASTag app from ‘Google Play Store’ and iPhone users can download the app from ‘Apple Store’. Thereafter, you have the flexibility to link the FASTag with any one of your existing bank accounts by using the My FASTag Mobile app.
The NHAI prepaid wallet facility is also available in My FASTag mobile app, where you can load money and get your toll fee deducted from the prepaid wallet.
b) Activate by visiting certified bank branch: You can also buy FASTag by visiting the nearest certified bank branch and get the FASTag linked with your existing bank account.
FASTag is the flagship initiative of Ministry of Road Transport and Highways and National Highways Authority of India which is designed to remove bottlenecks on toll plazas and ensure seamless movement of traffic and collection of user fee as per the notified rates, using passive Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology.