Users who fail to place the FASTag on the front windshield from the inside would be subject to a twofold cost. This is imposed by the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI). This is to ensure that drivers who carry their FASTags in their hands or wallets do not purposefully evade paying the toll. Such acts have been observed on particular interstate lanes. Defaulters may also be properly banned, according to NHAI.
NHAI On Deliberate Non-Affixation Of FASTag
“Deliberate non-affixation of FASTag on the windscreen leads to unnecessary delays at the toll plazas causing inconvenience to fellow National Highway users,” the NHAI stated.
The NHAI said to notify drivers of the consequences of entering a toll lane with no fixed FASTag on the front windshield. These details will also be conspicuously posted at all toll plazas. To keep accurate records of the fees levied and the vehicle’s presence in the toll lane, it further stated that CCTV video at the fee plaza including the Vehicle Registration Number (VRN) of the non-affixed FASTag cases must be recorded.
Goal Of The Change
Tight standards have been put in place by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to expedite toll collection. It will further discourage users from bypassing the required FASTag affixation. The goal of the change is to reduce needless toll plaza delays that annoy other drivers. All User Fee Collection Agencies and Concessionaires have received Standard Operating Procedures (SOP). These directed them to impose double user fees on cars without FASTags on their front windshields.
Issuer banks have been directed to attach FASTags to cars’ front windshields while being issued from different Point-of-Sale (POS) locations.
Fee Collection
The NHAI is responsible for collecting user fees on National Highways. This is according to the National Highway Fee (Determination of Rates and Collection) Rules, 2008. Currently, user fees are collected at over 1,000 toll plazas on national highways nationwide for about 45,000 km of National Highways and Expressways.
FASTag has transformed the nation’s Electronic Toll Collection system. It boasted a penetration rate of over 98 percent and over 8 crore customers. The proposal to impose a twofold user cost for failure to affix a FASTag would contribute to the optimization of toll operations. It will also guarantee a smooth and enjoyable travel experience for users of the National Highway System.
Current FASTag-Based Tolling System To Be Replaced By GPS Tolling
The union government will soon start testing GPS-based toll collection on five to ten roadways. The current FASTag-based tolling system is anticipated to be eventually replaced by GPS tolling, which is quicker and more effective.
Anurag Jain is the secretary of the roads ministry. He states the new approach would first be tested on a small number of highway segments before being implemented nationally.
“Highway developer National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is working on satellite- or GPS-based tolling that would introduce a more equitable way of collecting tolls on highways. There are a few concerns on the new system that would be addressed and the learnings from initial projects would make way for devising a foolproof system of tolling that would later be available on more and more highway stretches,” Anurag Jain stated.
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