Toll collections through FASTags inch closer to 90%

New Delhi: Toll collections through FASTags are inching closer to 90% as the government continues to push the digital mode of transaction at National highways across the country.
The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) turned all lanes of toll plazas on National Highways into FASTag lanes Monday onwards.

A statement issued by the authority on Thursday said that it has successfully transitioned to 100% cashless tolling from the midnight of January 15-16.

“The roll out of 100% cashless tolling has been positively received by the highway users with a record sale of over 2.5 lakhs tags for the last two consecutive days,” the statement said.

With nearly 60 lakh transactions, the per day toll collection through FASTag crossed the highest ever mark of Rs. 95 crores on 17th February 2021.

The total penetration of FASTag has reached around 87%, an increase of 7% penetration in just two days, with over 100 toll plazas achieving around 90% penetration, the authority said.

Toll collection via FASTags on Saturday stood at 89%, a senior government official said.

To facilitate adoption of FASTag by highway users, NHAI has also launched a ‘Free FASTag’ campaign till 1st March 2021, by waiving off the tag cost of Rs. 100 at over 770 toll plazas (including State toll plazas) across the country.

Further to the transition towards 100% electronic toll collection this week onwards, vehicles without a valid FASTag would be charged double the toll fee.

Introduced in 2014, the RFID-based FASTags affixed on vehicle windscreens would enable toll to be debited from a linked account, without requiring vehicles to stop for transactions.

FASTags, however, did not pick up until a transport ministry directive in July 2019 called for equipping all toll lanes barring one across National highways in the country with electronic toll collection (ETC) infrastructure.