What is a FASTag?
Operated by the National Highway Authority of India, FASTag is an electronic system used for the collection of tolls on national and state highways.
In other words, FASTags are rechargeable RFID passive tags for toll collection that do not have any expiry date, and hence, can be used as long as they are not tampered with and are readable at the toll plazas.
How Does a FASTag Work?
Simply put, these are prepaid rechargeable tags that do not have an expiry date and can be used to collect tolls as long they are readable and not damaged or tampered with.
The Government has instructed vehicle owners to get FASTag enabled in their vehicles compulsorily from 15th February 2021, so the vehicles will no longer be required to queue up at toll gates as the amount can be deducted from the bank or prepaid account of the vehicle owner. This is done by making use of radio frequency identification (RFID) technology that uses the FASTag present on the windscreen of vehicles and toll is collected electronically.
How to Purchase a FASTag?
You can purchase and activate a FASTag for your vehicle by visiting any of the certified banks listed by the government (which includes banks like Axis Bank, HDFC, ICICI Bank, SBI, among several others), toll plazas, RTOs, petrol pumps, or through e-commerce platforms like Amazon, Flipkart, PayTM and Fino Payment Bank. You can use the FASTag app to find the nearest sale point to your place. One thing you need to keep in mind is that the same FASTag cannot be used for more than one vehicle.
How to Activate a FASTag?
After buying a FASTag, you can either opt for self-activation (using the FASTag app which requires your vehicle and bank account details) or visit the nearest bank branch (you will have to provide them with the KYC documents and the Registration Certificate of the vehicle) to get your FASTag activated.
You can also avoid linking your bank account as NHAI also offers a prepaid wallet facility, so you can recharge it before trips so the toll can be easily deducted. You can charge this account using your UPI ID, debit or credit card, net banking, NEFT and other commonly used payment options.
