Road toll collection: FASTags to be mandatory for all new four-wheelers from 1 December, says govt

New Delhi: Come 1 December and it would be mandatory for all new four-wheelers to have FASTag devices fixed on front windscreens by automobile manufacturers or authorised dealers. A FASTag is a device that employs Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology for making toll payments directly from the prepaid or savings account linked to it and is affixed on the windscreen of the vehicle and enables the commuter to drive through toll plazas, without stopping for cash transactions. “…Motor Vehicles sold on and after December 1, 2017 shall be fitted with FASTag as may be specified by the central government, from time to time by the manufacturer of the vehicle or its authorised dealer, as the case may be,” a notification issued by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways said on Friday. [caption id=“attachment_2407714” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Representational image. Ibnlive[/caption] The notification follows amendment to Central Motor Vehicle Rules, 1989 by the central government as per powers vested in it under Motor Vehicles Act, 1989. The notification said in case of any vehicle which is sold in the form of drive-away-chassis without windscreen, FASTags shall be fitted on the windscreen by the vehicle owner before the registration of such vehicles. The notification explained that a FASTag means “an onboard unit (transponder) or any such device fitted on the front windscreen on the vehicle”. The tag can be purchased from tag issuers and if it is linked to the prepaid account then the vehicle owner is required to recharge/ top up the tag as per requirement. FASTag is presently operational at about 370 toll plazas across National Highways. The system is inter-operable and the same FASTag can be used across all toll plazas under the National Electronic Toll Collection (NETC) programme.