"Multiple FASTags Won't Work", Says Highways Body As New Norm Comes Into Force

The deadline to get Know Your Customer (KYC) regulation done for your FASTag is over. Vehicle owners who have more than one FASTag for their vehicles won't be able to use the older ones from Monday (April 1). The other FASTags have been deactivated as part of 'One Vehicle, One FASTag' initiative by National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), which seeks to make toll collection smoother and avoid multiple e-toll documents for vehicles. The earlier deadline as February 29, 2024, but it was extended till March 31 due to crisis in Paytm, under which the RBI asked the digital payments platform to not on board new customers.

"Multiple FASTags won't work... People who have multiple FASTags for one vehicle won't be able to use all of them from today (April 1)," an NHAI official told news agency PTI.

FASTag is an electronic toll collection system in India, operated by the NHAI. It employs Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology for making toll payments directly from the prepaid or savings account linked to it or directly toll owner.

With a penetration rate of around 98 per cent and over eight crore users, FASTag has revolutionised the electronic toll collection system in the country.

FASTag is a pre-paid tag facility for vehicles that allows non-stop movement of traffic without having to wait at the toll plazas. The credit card-sized document is usually affixed on the windscreen of the car.

The FASTag KYC check has been introduced to enhance the efficiency of the electronic toll collection system and provide seamless movement at toll plazas. The highways body said it took the initiative after it was informed that more than one FASTag has been issued for a particular vehicle and FASTags being issued without KYC in violation of RBI's mandate.