Get a FASTag before Dec 1 or pay double toll fee

Vehicles without a FASTag sticker will have to pay double toll fee from December 1, Union ministry of road transport and highways has announced .

From December 1, all lanes, except the leftmost hybrid lane, at toll barriers will be FASTag-enabled and vehicles without the FASTag stickers will be charged double the toll for using the highway.

What is FASTag

FASTag is a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) passive tag used for making toll payments directly from the customers’ prepaid or savings/current account. It is affixed on the windscreen of the vehicle and enables the customer to drive through toll plazas without stopping for making payment. The toll fare is directly deducted from the linked account of the customer and once paid, the vehicle can use the highway for 24 hours, so the concept of a one way or a two way ticket has been done away with. However If adequate balance is not maintained by the customer, the FASTag gets blacklisted at the toll plaza. The customer would then be required to pay the toll fare through cash.

Will decrease congestion, increase transparency

As per NHAI project director KL Sachdeva, FASTag will decrease the traffic congestion at the highway points. “Not only will the smooth process reduce vehicle emissions, it will reduce misuse of ID cards and cases of violence at toll booths.”

There are five toll plazas of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) near the tricity. Sachdeva said around 1,000 people a day were applying for FASTag accounts at the point-of-sale counters set up here.

How to get a FASTag

A copy of your vehicle registration certificate and driving licence, along with address proof, will be required for setting up a FASTag account. FASTags can be brought at any of the five highways near the tricity. They will be given for free till December 1 after which they will cost ₹100. Activation can be done online by downloading the App ‘My FASTag’ from the appstore on Apple and Playstore on Android, after entering the details and setting up a prepaid wallet on the App.

They can also be set up through any of the 22 NETC approved banks which include most banks. The banks will set up the FASTag wallet or link it with the savings or debit account. Different banks have a different system for setting up the FASTag. For HDFC, It will cost ₹400 to set up a FASTag wallet. This includes a ₹100 fee for setting up the account by the bank, ₹200 as refundable balance and a ₹100 recharge upon setting up the wallet.

A FASTag picked up from the point of sale can also be taken to the bank and the FASTag can be set up through them.

TOLL PLAZAS AROUND THE TRICITY:

1. Chandimandir on NH-5

2. Dappar-Ambala-Chandigarh highway NH 152

3. At Kurali NH 205

4. Zirakpur- Patiala highway NH 64 ( two toll booths)