FASTag system, which was first introduced in 2014 and made mandatory in 2019 brought with it a lot of advantages. A quick scan of FASTag attached to the car made the process of paying & passing tolls quicker. Another advantage was the relief from arranging physical cash for toll; just recharge the FASTag online and you are good to go. Today, a very important FASTag pass has been announced by Mr Nitin Gadkari, Minister of Road Transport and Highways of India, himself. Read on to know all the details.
Annual FASTag Pass
Mr Nitin Gadkari announced the ‘FASTag Annual Pass’ today. This annual pass will cost Rs 3000 and will be valid for 200 trips in a year. Passing one toll will be counted as one trip. This pass will help FASTag users save a considerable amount of money, as the effective cost per toll will be just Rs 15 (Rs 3,000 ÷ 200). This is literally a lot of money saved!
Toll rates usually start from Rs 50 for a single trip (light motor vehicles like cars, jeep & vans) and can even cross Rs 150 based on the location. If we assume that Rs 50 is charged at a toll and if 200 trips are made in a year, the total money spent is Rs 10,000. With this Annual FASTag Pass which will cost Rs 3000, you are straight up saving Rs 7000 PER YEAR!!
One thing to note is that this FASTag pass will be available from 15th August this year and will only be applicable on National Highways and National Expressways. Regular toll charges will be levied on toll plazas managed by State Governments or local bodies. Also, this pass is only available for private car/jeep/van. Use in any commercial vehicle will result in immediate deactivation of the FASTag.
Annual FASTag Pass – Other Important Details
This pass will be available only on the Rajmargyatra Mobile App and NHAI website. The pass will be activated once the eligibility of the vehicle and the associated FASTag is verified. Once verified, the user will be able to make a payment of Rs 3000 for one year through the Rajmargyatra Mobile App or the NHAI website. As soon as the payment is confirmed, the Annual FASTag Pass will be activated.
Important Note – The user will be able to repurchase the pass in case he completes 200 trips before the the one-year validity is exhausted. In case if he does not reactivate the Annual FASTag Pass, once its validity is over, regular rates will be levied.
Another Important Update
Mr Gadkari in his address also mentioned that a system is being worked on which will eliminate the need to stop on toll gates completely. While he did not share specific details, it is believed that he was referring to the Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) system. Earlier, a satellite-based system which would have charged users based on the distance traveled on highways was under consideration, However, this appears to have been postponed due to privacy, security, and operational concerns.
The Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) system will allow barrier-free collection of toll. In this, the number plate would be scanned and the toll money would directly be deducted from the FASTag account linked to the vehicle.
