Did you know that the Transport Corporation of India (TCI) prepared a report with IIM Kolkata? It concluded that India incurs a loss of USD 6.6 billion per year because of transportation delays? Therefore, the Government of India worked with National Highways Authority of India to eliminate the problem. Th study with the cashless revolution the country is witnessing right now. FASTag became the perfect solution to reduce the unnecessary delay, long queues at toll booth, and excessive fuel consumption.
What is FASTag?
It is a cashless alternative for the collection of toll charges. Do you remember going on a road trip all happy and dandy, only to get stuck in a long queue to pay your toll tax? Even when you finally reach the toll booth, the whole process of calculating the amount of toll charges, handing in the cash, collecting receipt, and then change. If you are a person who mostly uses only digital form of payment, the toll booth payments can be a hassle. Pre-FASTag era, the Government collected toll tax manually.
Thanks to FASTag, the problem of ‘finding the right amount of change’ is out of the picture. If you have FASTag, you don’t have to stop the vehicle at the toll booth. All you need to do is maintain sufficient balance in your FASTag account.
Usually, your FASTag is linked with a prepaid account or a mobile wallet like the one with Airtel Thanks. As the user passes through the gate, the calculated toll amount is automatically debited from your account.
How does FASTag work?
The RFID (Radio Frequency Identification Device) plays the most integral part here. The FASTag is actually an RFID enabled tag. After the initial registration, the user needs to fix it on the windshield of their car or any other commercial vehicle.
When a vehicle fixed with the tag passes the toll booth gate, the sensors automatically scan the RFID tag. Since the tag is linked with a prepaid account or mobile wallet, the software deducts the amount after scanning the tag.
Why FASTag is important for highways?
As mentioned above, India loses over USD 6.6 billion per year because of transportation delays. Just looking from the commercial point of view, FASTag makes the whole process easier and faster for the commercial vehicle drivers.
A time-saving alternative
FASTag is a time-saving alternative when compared to manual collection of toll booth taxes. With everything happening online, the vehicles can just pass through the toll booth without stopping. They don’t need to slow down, let alone pay cash.
Reduce hindrance on State and National Highways
It goes without saying that all the state and national highways are always busy with commercial and personal vehicles. Even the speed limit is higher on highways when compared to normal prescribed speed limit inside a city. It is to keep the traffic moving and allow faster delivery of goods and services. The intercity commercial vehicles often transport perishable goods. Therefore, there’s no room for delay. FASTag helps the vehicles to pass between the cities without wasting time on toll booths. The process becomes easy and seamless.
Work to reduce total carbon footprint
As we know, a high number of vehicles use highways. However, most of the drivers don’t switch off their engines while waiting in the toll booth queue. As a result, it increases carbon emission. With FASTag in place, the vehicles don’t have to stop in queues. There won’t be any slow-moving traffic. Thus, the carbon footprint will drop marginally due to proper implementation of the FAStag.
The NHAI has stated that people are doing more than 85% of toll transactions using FASTag. Moreover, you can also register for FASTag by using the Airtel Thanks app. Just download the app and hit the FAStag tab. Enter your vehicle registration number and upload a picture of your RC. Just by registering using Airtel Thanks app, you are eligible for a cashback up to Rs. 100.