Know all about NETC-FASTag

The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has developed the National Electronic Toll Collection (NETC) program to meet the electronic tolling requirements of the Indian market. It provides an electronic payment facility to customer to make the payments at national, state and city toll plazas by identifying the vehicle uniquely through a FASTag. All lanes on the fee plazas on national highways are classified as ‘FASTag lane of the fee plaza’ from midnight of Febraury 15, 2021 and hence no cash lane at the toll plazas from February 16, 2021.It was the plan of the Government to make every vehicle that uses national highways pay tolls electronically.

FASTag is a device that employs Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) sticker which is affixed on the vehicle windshield and enables the driver to make toll payments electronically while the vehicle is in motion without stopping at the Toll plazas by saving Fuel and Time.The FASTags sticker can be purchased from any Tag issuers and it should be linked to payment system.

You can get FASTags from toll plazas, banks like SBI, Union Bank, ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank, Axis Bank and apps such as Paytm and Airtel Payments Bank. The Road Transport Authority offices are also authorized to sell these tags.If the tag is linked to a prepaid account like a wallet, or a debit/credit card, then owners need to recharge/top up the tag. If the FASTag is linked to your savings account or current account, then the money will get deducted automatically from the account when your vehicle pass Fee Toll Plaza, after the balance goes below a pre-defined threshold. Banks have their own web-based mechanisms which are operating like any other prepaid e-wallet. Therfore, FASTag taken from one bank cannot be used with the account of another bank. So users while buying a FASTag from a bank have to take care that they are buying it from a bank in which they have their bank accounts. Banks require KYC documents, like Aadhaar or passport or PAN and the registration certificate of the vehicle to issue FASTag.

FASTags are also available online on all major retail platforms like Amazon, Paytm, and Snapdeal etc. They are also available at points of sale (POS) locations set up by 23 banks. The FASTag purchased through online are ‘bank-neutral’ so no bank is pre-assigned to when you purchase it online or through a POS terminal. Besides, The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) through its subsidiary Indian Highway Management Company Limited (IHMCL) sells and operates FASTag. The FASTag online from IHMCL are not linked to any bank, therefore the user is free to choose his mode of payment to be linked to the FASTag account. This type of FASTag is currently the most popular. If you want to self activate ‘bank-neutral’ FASTag for linking to your bank account, download ‘My FASTag’ mobile app from ‘Google Play Store’ and enter vehicle details on the app. Then link the FASTag with your existing bank account. Now the tag is registered and ready to use.

NETC allowed all authorised payment systems and instruments which include non-bank PPIs, cards and Unified Payments Interface (UPI) to link FASTag. NHAI Prepaid wallet facility is available, where you can add money and get the toll deducted. In case you have linked the FASTag to NHAI prepaid wallet, then it can be recharged through cheque or through UPI/debit card/ credit card/ NEFT/ Net Banking, etc. All the transactions in the NETC system can be performed without any additional factor of authentication.

Further, in a respite to highway commuters, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has withdrawn the requirement of maintaining a minimum amount in the FASTag wallet to ensure seamless movement at electronic toll plaza. Once a vehicle crosses the toll, the owner gets an SMS alert on the deduction. The alert is like money getting debited from accounts or wallets. Thus, FASTag offers the convenience of cashless payment along with benefits like – savings on fuel and time as the customer does not have to stop at the toll plaza.

What happens if you enter FASTag lane without affixing FASTag on your vehicle?

In an ideal world, the highway marshals should not allow you to enter a FASTag lane. But in the event that you find yourself in a FASTag lane, double the toll amount is to be paid for the category of vehicle you are driving. Even if your FASTag is not functional due to some damage to the RFID or it does not have enough balance, you are liable to pay double the toll amount. FASTag is valid forever as long as the tag can be read by the scanner. FASTag is specific to vehicles and not persons.