All you need to know about Fastags

What is Fastag?

FASTag could be a device that employs frequency Identification (RFID) technology for creating toll payments directly from the postpaid account linked to that. it’s glued on the screen of your vehicle and permits you to drive through toll plazas, without stopping for money transactions.

In simple words,

With the assistance of a FASTag, you’ll not have to be compelled to stop your vehicle at toll plazas to pay the toll. This is because when the vehicle crosses the toll plaza, the toll fee can get subtracted from the bank account/prepaid notecase linked to the FASTag affixed on the vehicle’s windshield.

An activated FASTtag works on frequency Identification (RFID) technology. Moreover, these FASTags don’t have any expiration date, that is, they’ll be used as long as they’re decipherable at the toll plaza and haven’t tampered with.

When and why was it introduced?                    

India is a country with the second largest road network in the world. Out of the full stretch of 5.4 million metric linear units of the road network, almost 97,991km is roofed by national highways. The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), a nodal agency of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways is accountable for the upkeep and therefore the expansion of the highways.

Traveling on these state/national highways additionally referred to as toll roads need a tax to be paid known as the Toll Tax. The government spends the taxes collected by suggests of toll roads usage on the upkeep of those roads so the drivers and therefore the riders will travel well.

The challenges related to the standard tolling method are as follows:

• Restricted range of toll booths resulting in slow toll assortment method. The slow toll assortment method at the toll booths leads to a minimum of ten minutes of average waiting time per vehicle.
• Fuel wastage because of the long waiting time at the toll plaza. Also leading to air pollution.
• Verbal arguments and physical fights among impatient travelers and therefore the toll attendants.
• Toll plaza accidents that happen because of the explosive lane dynamical by drivers for quicker clearance.
• Wastage of your time at booths features a negative impact on transport sector moreover because of the whole economy. A 2016 study by IIM urban center aforementioned that the country suffers losses of nearly Rs 40,000 large integer each year because of delays in transportation.

These limitations within the standard toll assortment systems concerned an on the spot revamp within the Indian toll collection machinery. Thus, a step during this direction was taken by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), a nodal agency of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways by introducing “FASTag” that employs Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology and provides for seamless movement of FASTag vehicles at toll plazas.

Such variety of road tag brands are operating in several developed countries of the west and are illustrious by totally different names like Eazee Pass, SunPass within the U.S.A., e-Pass in Australia, Salik in port, etc.

Initially, it came upon as a test on the stretch of the Golden International Journal of analysis and Analytical Reviews, Quadrilateral between Ahmedabad and urban center in 2014, the system was enforced on the Delhi-Mumbai arm of the Quadrilateral on four November 2014. At present, FASTag is operational at 240+ toll plazas across National Highways.

Why it is important?

From December 1, the government has made it required for all cars, jeeps, vans, buses, trucks, and cross-country vehicles (commercial and private), passing through toll booths on national highways, to pay toll exploitation FASTag. FASTag-enabled payment is presently offered at over 450 toll plazas across national and state highways. A whole list of FAStag-enabled toll plazas is on the market on the National Payments Corporation of India website — npci.org.in/netc. a lot of toll plazas are more to the current list within the future.

FASTag is very important for the government as:

• It promotes digital payments and makes it easier to stay tabs on vehicles and therefore the toll booths value of storage and transportation of money also as workforce at the toll booths come down.
• It helps avoid traffic build-up at toll booths and save fuel exhausted by vehicles throughout the wait.
• Reports indicate that the government plans to use knowledge from the devices employed in electronic toll assortment to watch traffic and work its toll policy also.

Why should I care?

If you own one or additional four-wheelers, you wish to get your FASTag presently. From December 1, all lanes at fee plazas excluding one in every direction are going to be selected as FASTag lanes on national highways. Any vehicle going in a FASTag lane while not having a tag can need to pay twofold the applicable fee for that class of the car.

FASTags are issued by twenty-three certified banks together with some tiny finance banks, payments banks, and co-operative banks. The list of banks is accessible on the NPCI website. FAStags may also be obtained from choosing toll plazas, gasoline pumps, RTOs, or on-line at Amazon.

Charges vary reckoning on the vendor because of the sort of vehicle. For Example, at ICICI Bank you wish to pay ₹499.12 if you own an automobile. This includes a tag deposit of ₹200, a minimum recharge quantity of ₹200, and a change of integrity fee of ₹99.12 together with GST. The documents needed to embrace the Registration Certificate of the vehicle, passport size icon of the owner, and KYC documents (ID and address proof). Depending on wherever you get the FASTag from, you’ll be able to either link it to your checking account or use a pre-paid case and recharge it from time to time. A FASTag account can capture all the transactions associated with the vehicle. SMS alerts for every deal, low balance, and so on, are offered. FASTag is vehicle-specific and once mounted can’t be transferred. Once you sell your vehicle, you’ll be able to shut your FASTag account associated with that vehicle.

Is it mandatory? 

The government has implemented the utilization of FASTag mandatory for all vehicles ranging from Jan 1, 2021. Whereas addressing a virtual performance, Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari proclaimed on a weekday, December twenty-four, that FASTag is being created mandatory for all vehicles across the country from January 1, 2021. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways had issued a notification in November this year creating FASTag mandatory by Jan 1, 2021 in recent vehicles additionally oversubscribed before December 1, 2017 through amendments in Central motor vehicles Rules (CMVR), 1989.

A valid FASTag is additionally mandatory whereas obtaining new third party insurance through AN modification in-kind 51% (certificate of Insurance), whereby the main points of FASTag ID are going to be captured. This can be applicable from April 1, 2021. FASTag encourages the utilization of digital payments at toll plazas and additionally helps in saving fuel.

According to the Central motor vehicles Rules, 1989, the FASTag had been created mandatory for all registration of recent machine vehicles and has been provided by the vehicle manufacturer or their dealers since December 1, 2017. It has been mandated that the renewal of the fitness certificate is going to be done solely when the installation of FASTag for the transport vehicles. For all the national allowed vehicles, the installation of FASTag was mandated since October 1, 2019.

How to buy and activate the Fastag?

FASTags are issued by twenty-two certified banks through varied channels like location (POS) at National route toll plazas and choose bank branches. They are additionally out there on e-commerce platforms like Amazon. when buying the FASTag, you wish to activate it to create it practically at the tract.

Offline method to get FASTags

FASTag will be purchased from over 28,000 location (POS) locations found out by varied banks, National Highways fee plazas, Regional Transport Offices, Common Service Centers, transport hubs, bank branches, and petrol pumps.

Online method to get FASTags

You can get FASTag online on Amazon or by visiting websites of various member banks – SBI, ICICI Bank, Axis bank, Paytm Payment Banks, HDFC bank, and IDFC first bank.

The list of the banks is as below:

Axis Bank, ICICI Bank, IDFC Bank, SBI, HDFC Bank, Karur Vysya Bank, EQUITAS little Finance Bank, PayTM Payments Bank Ltd, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Syndicate Bank, Federal Bank, South Indian Bank, Punjab national bank, Saraswat Bank.

All these banks offer you the web facility to buy the FASTags.

 Got the FASTag, now know where how you can activate it:-

• Self-Activation: FASTags are ‘bank-neutral’ which suggests that no bank is pre-assigned to the FASTag at the time you get it from a PoS terminal or on-line platform. The web FASTag relies on the thought of DIY (Do-It-Yourself) wherever you’ll be able to self-activate it by coming into your vehicle details within the ‘My FASTag’ mobile app. Through the app, you’ll be able to link the FASTag with any one of your existing bank accounts. The NHAI (National Highways Authority of India) postpaid case the facility is additionally offered within the app, wherever you\’ll be able to load cash and obtain your toll fee deducted from the postpaid case rather than obtaining it directly deducted from a checking account.
• Activate by visiting the bank branch: you’ll be able to conjointly purchase FASTag by visiting the closest certified bank branch and obtain the FASTag linked together with your existing checking account.
• At the time of activation, you may be needed to submit the KYC (Know Your Customer) documentation as per the KYC policy of the bank. Apart from the KYC documentation, you wish to submit the Registration Certificate (RC) of the vehicle alongside the appliance for FASTag to the bank.It is value mentioning that you just cannot use one FASTag with 2 or a lot of vehicles, you may purchase 2 separate FASTags for the 2 vehicles so on.
• According to the IHMCL web site, “If you reside at intervals a spread of ten km from the toll plaza, you’ll be able to avail a concession on toll to be paid via your FASTag. In such a case, you wish to submit the desired documents – proof of residence at the bank, nearest POS location to validate that your address is at intervals ten km of a specific toll plaza.” Once the address is verified, you’ll be able to avail of a concession on the toll paid via FASTag assigned to your vehicle.

Document required to purchase a fastag?

To purchase FASTag, you need to submit a replica of the Registration Certificate (RC) of the vehicle and a passport-size photograph of the vehicle owner. Apart from these documents, you need to submit KYC documents as per the class of the vehicle owner. 

The KYC documents (ID and address proof) will be one or additional from PAN Card/Driving License/Passport/Voter ID/Aadhaar Card (with address).

Applicants should keep in mind that FASTag is going to be issued following the verification of the first documents. Just in case you’re getting the FASTag from the toll plaza/bank branch/petrol pump, keep in mind to hold your original documents before applying for FASTag. The representative of the establishment agency can fix the FASTag on the vehicle’s windscreen. Any representative of the vehicle owner may also submit documents, information and get the FASTag.FASTag may be bought online from varied banks, Paytm and Amazon. In case of online purchase, the FASTag is delivered to the address provided within a stipulated time.

Working process of fastag

• Affixed on the wind protection of the vehicle could be a distinctive RFID tag that enables for creating toll payments directly from the bank or paid account linked thereto.
• Issuer Agency can electronically deduct the applicable toll fee from the customer’s account linked to the FASTag.
• This deduction is done post the toll group action. The client must adequately fund the account that is connected to FASTag. This recharge method could also be termed as indefinite quantity.
• The client receives an SMS with requisite details to his registered mobile range before long because the toll group action takes place.
• Customers can receive an SMS alert in your registered telephone number on every occasion and quantity is subtracted from your FASTag account. The fee owed on every track is out there on www.nhtis.org additionally to being displayed at the involved toll plazas.
• A periodic statement of account might also be obtained on the website of the institution Agency once registered by the client.

RFID Technology

RFID technology allows a device to capture the digital information encoded in RFID tags or sensible labels victimization the radio waves.

RFID is assessed beneath a broad technology referred to as Automatic Identification and information Capture (AIDC). It uses radio waves to mechanically determine folks or objects, collect information regarding them, and enter the collected information directly into the computer systems with very little or no human intervention.

RFID Systems include 3 components:

1. AN RFID tag or a wise Label
2. AN RFID reader
3. An Antenna

RFID tags consist of an integrated circuit and an antenna, that area unit wont to transmit information to the RFID reader (also called AN interrogator). The RFID reader then converts the radio waves to a lot of usable information. Data collected from the tags is then transferred through a communication interface to a number computing system, where the data are often held on in an exceeding information base and analyzed at a later time.

By victimization RFID technology at each toll plaza, congestion, and also the long queues of traffic are often avoided which can automatically lead to time-saving additionally mutually won’t have to be compelled to do the payments manually. conjointly an Electronic Toll assortment System can see if an automobile is registered in an exceeding toll payment program, and it alerts enforcers of toll payment violations and debits the collaborating account.

Where do you stick the fastag for toll payment?

• Remove the adhesive lining from the FASTag sticker.
• Paste the FASTag on the highest middle of the windscreen from within the vehicle or behind the rearview mirror.
• Gently press the sticker on the windscreen.
• Keep the adhesive facet of the FASTag sticker facing outside.
• Do not try and take away or reposition the FASTag sticker once glued.

One should additionally keep in mind the Don’ts, for affixing the FASTag on vehicles:

• Do not paste the FASTag on a grimy or wet glass surface.
• If the first adhesive is lean, then come back the FASTag and obtain it replaced.
• Do not utilize string tape or any supplementary adhesive to affix the FASTag.
• Do not attempt to peel off or reposition the FASTag.

How to recharge it?

If the FASTag is already connected along with your bank account, then there’s no need to add cash individually in a very pre-paid case. You simply need to make sure that your FASTag-linked checking account has a decent balance to permit for payment at the toll plaza.

However, if you’ve got connected the FASTag to a paid wallet (NHAI paid wallet), then it will be recharged through varied channels like payment through cheque or UPI/debit card/ credit card/ NEFT/ web Banking. Also, extra charges are going to be levied whereas recharging the FASTag account through completely different channels.

Benefits of adopting FASTag:

FASTag has led to many socio-economic and environmental edges to its participants.

1. Ease of payment, Now no one wouldn’t be compelled to carry money for the toll transactions saves time
2. Near non-stop movement of vehicles resulting in lower fuel value.
3. Online Recharge FASTag will be recharged online through Mastercard/ charge account credit / NEFT/ RTGS or web-banking SMS alerts are sent to the FASTag holder for toll transactions, low balance, etc.
4. It has a web Portal for purchasers.
5. Your FASTag incorporates a validity of five years.
6. Environmental profit like reduced pollution and fewer usage of paper is helpful.
7. Social profit like less time taking toll payment is hassle-free and analytics for higher route management.
8. Economic profit just like the reduced effort in management at the toll plaza and also the reduced effort in observance centrally is additionally helpful.

Challenges faced by FASTAG

• FASTag charge is high for multi-axle vehicles – Multi-axle vehicle owners are hesitant to FASTag as the toll charges for such vehicles are quite high. A truck needs quite Rs. 2,000 for ten visits whereas a car will build ten visits at a far lower worth. This offers individuals the ideas for deploying automotive tags in trucks.
• FASTag might not be approved – once there’s no quantity within the account, no credit is given to the users.Then the user must pay in money. Moreover, at times, the RFID scanner goes through technical problems, leaving a FASTag user in an exceedingly fix to pay the toll quantity in money.
• FASTag is often purloined or lost – Since the FASTag comes in an exceeding tag type, it will simply be purloined or lost. In such a scenario, the user should request the agency to block the FASTag account instantly and method reissuance.
• FASTag is often incorrectly charged – from time to time, because of technical glitches, a FASTag user could also be incorrectly charged. In such a scenario, the user is left with the sole choice to report the matter as before long as he/she comes to know regarding it and elicit compensation.
• FASTag might face malfunction or harm – A user should report regarding the same and seek a replacement.
• Same lane for electronic toll collection (ETC) and influential person (VIP) – There ought to be a dedicated ETC lane at each parcel. Not having an avid ETC lane suggests that the aim of FASTag fails as it causes a delay within the journey of FASTag users.
• National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) doesn’t involve itself in FASTag payments, it has not provided any software package for a similar instead, it’s authorized many banks to handle them. Since each bank is victimizing its software package it’s given rise to tons of payment-connected problems that desire instantaneous rectification.
• FASTag project desires correct observation to confirm refunds area units created on the account of request errors: There’s no Wholesale package providing discounts or free visits for business operators who have multiple vehicles crossing toll plazas many times.

The government should guarantee straightforward availability of FASTags through numerous channels and conjointly educate the individuals on the victimization of the dedicated FASTag lanes since the thought are new, it’s in an exceedingly emergent stage in India.

Conclusion and future work

Although RFID primarily based FASTag is seen as an advantageous mode of toll assortment the system in India giving various socio-economic and environmental advantages to each – the user and also the collector, till its drawbacks or the challenges are not uprooted to the bottom, the module shall still face serious crunch and should not work as meant. By designing applicable solutions to handle the challenges faced by FASTag it may be created a technologically superior model of toll collection eventually proving itself to be a game-changer in the automatic toll collection system, in the years to come. Also, plans are a unit afoot by the petroleum Ministry and personal Oil promoting corporations that FASTags could be utilized by customers for getting petrol at petrol pumps and even for parking facilities.

This article is authored by Muskan Deora, student at Institute of Law, Nirma University, Ahmedabad.