What Is Fastag? How Does It Work?

By Author: Anil Sukhchandani
Total Articles: 8
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In India, every individual face traffic congestion on the road while going to work. Driving through the traffic is nerve-wracking. They ensure to get their work done but also waste a lot of time in traffic jams. It is worse if they must pass through the toll. Nowadays, it has become easier to pay tolls, thanks to technological innovations.

Launched by the Indian Government, FASTag employs the Radio Frequency Identification Technology, allowing the drivers on State and National Highways to make toll payments without needing to stop at the toll plaza.
They need to fix the tag on their vehicle windscreen and pass through them swiftly. However, they must remember to recharge it after expiry.

Here are some of its functions:

• Capturing details: Several State and Indian National Highways have electronic toll collection lanes. Whenever a vehicle passes through it, the plaza system captures standard information included in the tag affixed on the windscreen. The insurer hosts receive these details for completion of the process.

• Monitoring tag details: The bank then sends a request to NETC Mapper for monitoring the information. The Tag ID gets validated, and the NETC Mapper responds with information such as tag status, VRN, vehicle class, and so forth. If the TAG ID does not get monitored, the NETC Mapper responds with negative feedback.

• Calculating toll fare: Once the Tag ID gets successfully registered by the NETC Mapper, the acquirer calculates the toll fare and the NETC system receives a debit request. It then transfers them to the issuing bank, and the toll amount gets debited from the user’s account.

• The debit of toll fare: Here, the acquirer hosts debit the toll amount from the holder’s account linked to the system. They receive an SMS alert after the debit. The issuer host also sends a message to the primary NETC system, and the transaction for FASTag electronic toll collection gets accepted.

• Final notification: After accepting the toll amount, the NETC system sends a message to the acquiring host regarding the transaction, who communicates with the respective toll plaza.

The entire transaction is hassle-free and convenient. It takes place within minutes like a debit or credit card transaction. Applicants can also choose FASTag online and save their traffic time. Also, from December 15, 2019, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highway of India is planning to make FASTag mandatory for all vehicles. There are around 560-odd plazas to collect toll without human intervention or fee payment. The primary objective is to capture all the toll money electronically.