New Delhi: The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has streamlined its policy to ensure smooth tolling operations by strengthening the process for Toll Collecting Agencies and Concessionaires to immediately report and blacklist ‘loose FASTags,’ commonly referred to as “tag-in-hand.” With upcoming initiatives like the Annual Pass System and Multi-Lane Free Flow (MLFF) tolling on the horizon, addressing this issue is critical to ensure FASTag authenticity and system reliability.
FASTags are sometimes deliberately not fixed on the windscreen of the vehicle by owners, who instead carry them by hand. Such practices pose operational challenges, leading to lane congestion, the generation of false chargebacks, and misuse in closed-loop tolling systems. This results in disruption of the Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) framework, causing unnecessary delays at toll plazas and inconvenience to other National Highway users.
To ensure timely corrective measures, NHAI has provided a dedicated email ID and directed Toll Collection Agencies and Concessionaires to immediately report such FASTags. Based on the reports received, NHAI will take immediate action to initiate blacklisting or hotlisting of the reported FASTags, preventing their misuse in the tolling system.
With a penetration rate of over 98 per cent, FASTag has revolutionised the Electronic Toll Collection system in the country. Loose FASTags or “tag-in-hand” pose a challenge to the efficiency of tolling operations, as they disrupt the seamless flow of vehicles and undermine system integrity.
This initiative will help make toll operations more efficient, ensuring seamless and comfortable journeys for National Highway users. By addressing loose FASTags, NHAI aims to enhance the reliability of the ETC system and support the implementation of advanced tolling mechanisms.
– global bihari bureau
