A Guide To Understand FASTag | How To Recharge And More
Nitin Gadkari, the Road & Transport minister of India announced that FASTags would be compulsory for all from December 1, 2019. The project comes under the NETC or National Electronic Toll Collection program. Vehicles that don’t have a FASTag after the last date mentioned would have to pay double the rate charged at toll plazas all over the country. Hence, it is necessary for vehicle owners to buy a FASTag as soon as possible. The tedious task of paying tolls is no longer a hassle anymore.
Q. What Is FASTag?
- Recently, road infrastructure has seen a notable improvement, and driving to and from cities has become much more comfortable and fun. Cleaner roads and wide lanes have made drives much less exhausting. However, one aspect that needed uplifting while on a highway was the time-taking task of toll payment at toll plazas. This issue is set to go away with the introduction of FASTag, an automated electronic process of toll collection. Originally, this toll collection system was put into action on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad route of the Golden Quadrilateral in 2014. At present, the FASTag is being accepted at 500+ National Highways and around 40+ State Highways across the country.
- FASTag is a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) integrated device via which money gets deducted instantly from the prepaid account while going through tolls. A rechargeable tag that can be charged based on the user’s requirement is fixed on the windshield of vehicles. As FASTag does not have any expiry date, it can remain operational as long as it is legible.
Q. How To Get FASTag?
- One can buy the tag at 24 NETC member banks. NETC stands for the National Electronic Toll Collection, and it charges a nominal fee for registering FASTag to a vehicle. You can also apply for Fastag online by logging in to the FASTag portal and following the process given. Those who own more than one vehicle are required to register for multiple FASTags. It is also available on Amazon and Flipkart, the popular e-commerce websites.
These are the documents needed at the time of purchase:
— Proof of Identity (Aadhaar Card/ PAN Card).
— Proof of Address (Aadhaar Card/PAN Card/ Driving License/ Voter ID card).
— Passport-sized photograph.
— Registration Certificate (RC) of the vehicle.
Q. What Are The Benefits Of FASTag?
As the process has become mandatory, there may arise a question of how it will be beneficial and what could be expected with this change. Here are a few pointers to explain the same with Fastag Recharge Online.
- Saving Time And Fuel
A process that required stopping of vehicles and worrying about the change for toll is now more sleek and takes much less time. When you pass the booth, the tag will be scanned and the toll amount would be automatically withdrawn from a linked account. It not only saves valuable time but fuel that was once wasted while going through long queues. According to a study, the cost of additional fuel consumption due to delays was estimated to be a whopping $16 billion. Now this cost has been cut to less than half and is going down gradually.
- Online Recharge
When you link your bank account with your FASTag account, there is no need to recharge it separately. Just ensure that you have a sufficient balance in the bank account to cover the toll. You also link your FASTag with an NHAI wallet, a prepaid wallet that can be recharged through several means. You can recharge via Debit Card, UPI, NEFT, Internet Banking, or even Cheque. One can earn up to 10% cashback and other rewards as well via online Fastag recharge.
- Long Validity And Separate Lanes
The validity of 5 years makes FASTag a very convenient payment option as you need not worry about screaming for cash while going through tolls. You also receive a separate lane to breeze forward with no hassle whatsoever. It’s like being a VIP!
Q. How to recharge Fastag Online?
If FASTag is linked with your account then you don’t need to load a prepaid wallet. Only ensure that the linked account has enough balance. In case your FASTag is linked to a prepaid wallet then you can Recharge Fastag Online through modes such as UPI, debit card, credit card, NEFT, and net banking. Additional charges may also be levied depending on the bank. FASTag recharge offers several good discounts and gift cards as well.
Note: According to KYC, there is a cap on the maximum balance.
FASTag account holders with limited KYC would have a monthly reload cap of Rs 20,000.
FASTag account holders with full KYC cannot have more than Rs 1 lakh in wallet with no reload cap.
Q. What to do If I live near a booth?
If you live within a range of 10 KMS from a toll plaza, you are eligible for a concession on the toll which is to be paid. Submit the necessary documents such as proof of residence to the certified bank.
Q. What are the charges that I have to pay for FASTag?
The one time activation fee for Fastag is Rs 100 along with a refundable security deposit which depends on the type of vehicle. It ranges between Rs 200 to Rs 400. Also, the first recharge for the wallet depends on the bank, and it ranges between Rs 100 to Rs 500.