The government of India has made the installation of FASTag mandatory for all four-wheel automobiles sold from December 1.
- FASTag is a rechargeable card that uses passive radio frequency identification (RFID ) technology to debit toll charges automatically,
- This tag will help in seamless travel on highways, cutting long queues at toll booths.
- The tag has a unique code to help recognise a vehicle. When it passes through a toll booth, the ETC system reads the vehicle’s code and automatically deducts the toll.
- The FASTag has to be linked to a prepaid account by the vehicle’s owner.
- The decision is part of the government’s electronic toll collection (ETC) system.
- Manufacturers and authorised dealers will have to ensure vehicles are fitted with the tag.
- For existing vehicles, drivers can buy the tag from designated banks and toll booths and fix them on the windscreen
- At least one lane each on both carriageways of the toll plazas in the country has interoperable RFID tag-based ETC system in place.
What is FASTag?
- It is an electronic toll collection operated by the National Highway Authority of India.
- Initially, this system was set up as a pilot project in 2014 on the stretch of the Golden Quadrilateral between Ahmedabad and Mumbai.
- Then it was implemented on the Delhi - Mumbai arm of the Quadrilateral on 4 November 2014
- It is a simple to use, a reloadable tag which enables automatic deduction of toll charges and lets you pass through the toll plaza without stopping for the cash transaction.
- FASTag is linked to a prepaid account from which the applicable toll amount is deducted.
- The tag employs Radio-frequency Identification (RFID) technology and is affixed on the vehicle's windscreen after the tag account is active.
