Use Of FASTag Is Mandatory From January 1: Know All About It

For all vehicles, the Ministry of Road, Transport and Highways has enabled the use of FASTag compulsory. This law will fall into effect on 1 January and will apply to all vehicles going through toll plazas. Here are all the answers to your concerns about FASTag: 

Meaning and validity of FASTag

It is a tag that is mounted from the inside to the window of your vehicle. There is also an embedded radio-frequency identification (RFID) barcode on the FASTag that is linked to all of the vehicle’s registration information. It shall be valid for a five-year duration from the date of issue. People that have been exempted earlier do not need to use FASTag. Namely, lawyers, government officials, and emergency responders.    

How does it work?

There will be FASTag readers available as you drive through a toll plaza that will scan your sticker and then subtract the amount required. This method will remove the need to pause, communicate with an individual at a toll plaza and having to make payments in cash. The FASTag is beneficial for travellers, according to Union Road, Transport and Highway Minister Nitin Gadkari, as they would not need to wait at toll places for cash transactions, and it also saves fuel, time and efforts. 

Documents required to buy it

An applicant will need to provide a vehicle registration certificate and personal identity for the required KYC procedure in order to buy a FASTag. But since, at banks, you will only require an RC file if you are already a customer of that bank. If you request by other methods, such as Airtel and PayTM, you do not need to create a personal ID and the RC is all you need.

Where to buy a FASTag?

To have a FASTag delivered at your residence, the government has collaborated with many organisations, including banks and e-commerce networks. Thus far, HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, State Bank of India, Kotak Bank, Axis Bank, Bank of Baroda, to list a few, are the banks currently offering FASTags. ICICI Bank and Google recently revealed a partnership that will enable applicants to pay for FASTag through their Google Pay payment service. Amazon, PayTM, Airtel Payment app are also several other options to purchase the same. There are also conventional methods available, such as buying them at some toll places throughout India.

How to check the balance and recharge a FASTag?

For customers, the issuing bank’s e-commerce provider can generate a FASTag wallet. All that is needed is to add money to the wallet after that. For instance, if you ordered a FASTag from a bank, they can subtract money directly from your account, and you need to keep a minimum account balance. For mobile payment banks, the platforms will also allow you to use debit cards, credit cards, UPI and other payment methods to recharge FASTag. This is also equivalent if you purchase it through Airtel. Via Airtel Payment app, you can recharge your FASTag online.