In a world of increased digital payments and making a ‘Digital India’ with advanced infrastructure and better connectivity, the Indian government has developed various solutions to traditional issues. If you have ever been on the road for a longer distance before 2021, you would have encountered a kilometre-long queue of cars at the toll booth or, potentially, even more, depending on the time of day and the number of toll booths set up to collect the toll.
This used to cause significant delays and pollution while requiring dozens of toll booth workers to be there to collect the toll tax, resulting in a negative experience for everyone. However, this has changed since February 2021, when FASTag was made mandatory for every vehicle. This is achieved by requiring individuals without fastags to pay double in cash and promoting vehicle passage10 seconds.
Let’s compare these methods, explore the future of toll payments in India, and find out more information about FASTag, including the FASTag recharge method.
What is FASTag, and how does it work?
Launched by the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) in 2014, FASTag is a unified electronic system in India developed to use Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology to make toll payments directly from the prepaid or savings account linked to it.
In fact, ever since it was made mandatory in 2021, it has enabled individuals to travel freely without having to pay the amount in cash at individual toll booths, suffering long traffic, and thus causing delays in travel plans.
For example, suppose you are travelling on a toll highway where they charge ₹100 for one way and have a FASTag from Bajaj Pay or ICICI Bank. In that case, you can keep a particular amount of money in the FASTag wallet, which will automatically be deducted from the wallet when passing the toll booth.
How to get a FASTag?
If you have bought a new car or are just looking for a new FASTag for your vehicle, there are many options. While the car dealership will sometimes put a FASTag on a new car, if you want to obtain a FASTag personally, you can do so from various sources, including banks, online platforms, and dedicated FASTag apps.
The process is straightforward, quick, and convenient, enabling all travellers to get the right policy for their needs without having to wait a long time or go through several steps. Once you have the FASTag, you can activate it from the issuing bank, portal, or FASTag app, depending on the issuer’s specific steps.
How to FASTag recharge in 2024?
After getting a new FASTag, your wallet will consist of the amount you spent after deducting the security deposit and the one-time charges or the specific recharge amount charged by the bank. Check if this sum fulfils your needs or recharge the relevant amount based on your travel needs. For example, if you wish to recharge daily, then the amount you expect to spend in a day. Similarly for a week, month or an arbitrary amount depending on your specific needs and criteria.
To do this, you can easily download FASTag apps, the app of the issuing bank or directly recharge money in the wallet using UPI and Payment Apps such as Bajaj Finserv. Bajaj Finserv is a leading name in the industry, offering convenient options to recharge your FASTag and dozens of other financial services, making it a super app for financial purposes. All you need to do is download the Bajaj Finserv app from the Google Play Store or App Store and follow the given steps:
- Open the app, log in, or register as a new user.
- Go to ‘BILLS AND RECHARGES’ and select ‘FASTag Recharge’’.
- Choose the bank or service which has issued your FASTag.
- Enter your vehicle number and click on ‘Proceed’.
- You can select an online FASTag payment method from the available options, such as credit cards, debit cards, and net banking.
- After choosing your preferred payment mode, enter the requested payment details.
- Check the details you entered and click on ‘Pay Now’.
Which is better, FASTag or traditional toll payments?
There are no questions about which is better between FASTag and traditional payment methods such as cash or card. This is because FASTag is a unified system that works throughout India automatically without doing anything manually. It is also cheaper than having to pay double the toll prices in cash. Not just this, as in recent years, the use of cash has reduced, and fewer and fewer people carry cash. It makes an excellent option to travel across India cash-free, making it the superior choice compared to traditional methods.
What is the future of FASTag?
As Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari mentioned, the future of FASTag is GPS-based toll collection, where money will be automatically deducted from a wallet without having to pass through toll plazas. What this means is that it will entirely remove the need for toll booths and enable individuals to pass through the entire country without stoppages and traffic due to toll collection booths.
Conclusion
To conclude, FASTag is a superior option for toll collection in every manner compared to traditional toll collection. Whether it is cost-effectiveness, timeliness, reduction of pollution, or, most importantly, convenience, it makes more sense to avail of the benefits of FASTag.