The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is gearing up to implement FASTag, or electronic toll collection system, in the State mandatory for all vehicles from December 1, but low awareness among the people is a challenge.
The FASTag-enabled vehicles can drive through dedicated lanes being created without stopping at the toll plazas on the National Highways, thus saving time and fuel.
The new device, which employs Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology to make toll payments directly from a prepaid account linked to it, is fixed to the windscreen of the vehicle.
“Long queues at the toll plazas for payment of fee will soon be a thing of the past as the new system aims at creating a smooth driving without any break on the National Highways,” says Anil Dixit, Regional Officer, A.P., NHAI. Of the total 43 toll plazas in the State, 30 of them are ready for the new mode, and work is in progress at the remaining 13.
Across the country, the NHAI has a network of 97,629 km, which takes 40% of the road traffic.
Of this, a stretch of 5,893 km traverses through Andhra Pradesh.
Similarly, 43 of the 470 toll plazas along the National Highways in the country and covered under the National Electronic Toll Collection (NETC) programme, are in Andhra Pradesh.
Sale points
The FASTag is being issued at the NHAI’s points of sale at all the toll plazas, select 22 banks, Paytm, e-commerce websites such as Amazon and Road Transport Authority (RTA) offices. People can also avail themselves of a cash back of 2.5% on toll payments using FASTag at all the plazas along the highways and select ones in the State (valid for the financial year 2019-20). Besides dedicated FASTag lanes at toll gates, there will be “hybrid lanes” on either sides for non-FASTag vehicles, for now. “Any vehicle without FASTag and entering the FASTag lane will be charged double the fee,” says Mr. Dixit.
As part of the preparation, the NHAI has deployed nodal officers at each toll gate to assist the staff till they get used to the new system.
“If effectively implemented, the new system can be very beneficial. In the past, there have been problems such as software hitches. For instance, if the toll gate sensor does not work properly, it may fail to read your FASTag. Problems can also occur if you are using other RFID tags in your vehicle,” says Y.V. Eswar Rao, general secretary, Andhra Pradesh Lorry Owners’ Association.
“To avoid such issues, make sure you buy your device only from an official outlet and place it prominently on your windscreen,” says Mr. Dixit.
