Technology

What are FASTags?

FASTag is an electronic toll collection system in India, operated by the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI). It employs Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology for making toll payments directly from the prepaid or savings account linked to it.

FASTag are normally affixed on the windscreen of our vehicle which enables us to drive through toll plazas. When the vehicle crosses the toll plaza, the toll fee will get deducted from the bank account/prepaid wallet linked to the FASTag . An activated FASTtag works on Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology.

How FASTags Works?

• Whenever a vehicle will pass through the Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) lane of the Toll Plaza, the Toll Plaza system will capture the FASTag details like (Tag ID, Vehicle Class, TID(Terminal Identification Number), etc.) and send it for processing to the acquiring bank.

•  The acquiring bank will send a request to the National Electronic Toll Collection (NETC) Mapper to validate the tag details.

• Once the Tag ID will get validated, NETC Mapper will respond with details like Tag Status, Vehicle class, Vehicle Registration Number etc. If the Tag ID is not present in NETC Mapper, it will respond as the Tag ID is not registered.

• The acquirer host will calculate the appropriate toll fare and initiate a debit request to NETC system after successful validation of Tag ID from NETC Mapper.

• NETC System will switch the debit request to the respective issuer bank for debiting the account of the customer.

• Now, Issuer host will debit the linked tag holder account and send an SMS alert to the tag holder. The Issuer host will also send the response message to the NETC system. If the response is not sent within the defined TAT, the transaction will be considered as Deemed Accepted.

•  NETC system will notify the response to the acquirer host.

Key Benefits/Advantages of FASTag:

1. Cashless Payments – FASTag users don’t need to carry cash for toll transactions, and don’t need to worry about collecting the exact change.
2. Faster Transit – Auto-debit of exact amount through the FASTag allows for faster transit through the toll plazas and saves the time of the users.
3. Online Recharge – FASTag can be recharged online through Credit Card / Debit Card / NEFT/ RTGS or Net banking.
4. SMS alerts – Users can receive instant SMS alerts on a registered mobile number for toll transactions, low balance, etc.
5. Validity – A FASTag would be functional for a period of 5 years.
6. Exclusive FASTag Portal – A customer has the facility to access their statements for their Tag by merely logging on to the FASTag Customer Portal.
7. Cash Back up to 2.5 – A customer can avail a cashback of 2.5% on every toll payment using FASTag.
   

 Documents requires along with the application of FASTag:

1. Registration Certificate (RC) of the vehicle.
2. Passport size photograph of the vehicle owner
3. KYC documents as per the category of the vehicle owner (viz. Individual / corporate):

For Individual : ID proof and Address proof from the list mentioned and 1 passport size photograph.

• Driving License
• PAN Card
• Passport
• Voter ID Card
• Aadhar Card (with address)

For instance, valid driving license would be sufficient for Address & ID proof.

Where to Buy FASTag?

FASTags are issued by 22 certified Banks through various channels such as Point-of-Sale(POS) at National Highway toll plazas and selected bank branches. They are also available on e-commerce platform such as Amazon, Paytm, Airtel etc.