Alert: Get Ready To Pay Double If Your FASTag Doesn’t Work

Penalties were previously applicable only to those who entered the FASTag lane without a FASTag

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has amended the National Highways Fee (Determination of Rates and Collection) Rules, 2008, concerning the usage of FASTags at toll plazas on national highways. Now, those who use the FASTag lane will have to pay double the toll fee, if their FASTag is found to be invalid or non-functional. 

Previously, only those who entered the dedicated FASTag lane without a sticker/RFID tag on their car were liable to pay this penalty. This allowed people with non-functioning FASTags to make use of the dedicated lane. 

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This change in rule will discourage those who use FASTag without having a functioning RFID tag, from entering the FASTag lane. But it also opens the door for potential fraud as toll operators all over the country can use it as an excuse to extort double the fee from users. No guidelines have been given by the government regarding the misuse of this rule.

FASTag was made mandatory from December 15, 2019. Since then, 1.68 crore FASTags have been issued across the country.

This technology allows people to pay their toll fees in a contactless fashion with receipts made available in the user’s FASTag account.