4 ways to deal with challenges you might face with FASTag
FASTag is an easy and efficient way of handling toll payments on national highways and on state highways. It is a (RFID) Radio Frequency Identification Device enabled tag that propagates automatic deduction of toll payment.
The FASTag comes with the feature to be provided as per your requirement, or can be linked to a prepaid account/wallet from where the money will be automatically withdraw. The FASTag is fixed onto the commercial and passenger vehicle’s windscreen. When it passes through the toll plaza, the FASTag is automatically scanned and the money automatically deducted from linked account/wallet.
FASTag ETC is implemented in over 500 plus toll plazas across all national and state highways in India.
Some benefits of FASTag:
Saving time
Make payment easily
No need to carry cash
Online recharge
Getting value for your money, since FASTag can subject you to periodic discounts and assured cashbacks upto 2.25%
Getting SMS notification about toll deduction on your registered mobile number
FASTag Challenges and Solution:
1. Loss of FASTag:
Problem: The first and the most common problem that came up was the distress expressed by the drivers about loss of their FASTags. The worry stems from the fact that since this card is fixed as a tag on the windscreen, it can be subject to theft or loss.
Solution: In this case, you can immediately notify the issuing agency or bank about the theft/loss. Then they can process blocking the account and can help you with obtaining another tag.
2. Technical Glitch:
Problem: Sometimes when the toll charge may be deducted twice from your account, in the wake of a technical error. Else you may face the issue of your FASTag not working. What this essentially means is that your vehicle may go through the RFID scanner, and it is not able to detect attached FASTag on windscreen.
Solution: The bank in which your tag account is registered with can help you with this. By going on FASTag customer portal, you can register a claim regarding double deduction of toll amount, and can put a request for a re-compensation.
3. Unauthorized cars in FASTag Lane:
Problem: It is common for drivers to wait for their turns longer than expected in FASTag lanes because of vehicles without FASTag come down in the queue. This leads increases their wait time significantly, which is one of the major FASTag problems faced by many of drivers. Moreover, drivers feel that this defeats the entire purpose of FASTag and assigned lanes.
Solution: There need to be strict measures to ensure that the entry way into the assigned FASTag lanes also has a scanner. The scanner will be the available to detect the FASTag securely attached on the windscreen of vehicles. This will verify that entry is allowed only to automobiles that have FASTag. When these measures are in place, the user satisfaction and time saving opportunities will grow multiple times.
4. Blacklisted FASTag:
Problem: This issue is a fairly common for RFID users. A FASTag gets blacklisted in the event the user fails to maintain enough balance in their FASTag account/wallet. Thus if the user attempt to pass through the toll plazas with inadequate balance in their FASTag account, they would not be able to avail the (NETC) National Electronic Toll Collection services, forcing them to pay via cash.
Solution: For FASTag problems of this nature, the solution is quite simple. As a FASTag user, one must be knowledgeable of the current balance in account/wallet, such that they do not end up facing this challenge. Regular recharge of the wallet is a must to ensure seamless passage through toll plazas.