FASTags, or reloadable tags for payment at toll booths, will be available for free until November 30, Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari said on Thursday.
The announcement comes a week before FASTags become mandatory at all the booths on national highways from December 1.
“The FASTags will be available for free until Nov. 30 with a deposit of ₹150,”Mr. Gadkari said at a press conference. From December 1, if anyone comes to a booth without a tag, he or she will have to pay double the toll,” he added.
The FASTags are affixed to a vehicle’s windscreen and the tax amount is automatically deducted when the vehicle passes through a booth.
These are available for purchase at all the national highway toll plazas, banks, RTOs and e marketplace, Amazon.
The tags are being sponsored by the National Highways Authority of India.
As many as 412 of the 535 national highways have been upgraded with technology to read the tags and allow vehicles to zip through. As of now, 40% of the tax collected is through FASTags.
