FASTag is a device that employs RFID technology for making toll payments directly. The government has decided to declare all lanes at toll fee plaza on national highways as 'FASTag lanes' from December 15.
The FASTags were supposed to be implemented across the country by December 1 but the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MORTH) extended the FAStag deadline to December 15 for the convenience of vehicle owners.
FASTag is a device that employs Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology for making toll payments directly while the vehicle is in motion, according to the official website of the National Electronic Toll Collection.
From December 15, non-FASTag users will be charged double the fee if they pass through FASTag-only lanes, according to Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.In order to save fuel, time and pollution and to ensure seamless movement of traffic, Ministry of Road Transport - Highways has launched National Electronic Toll Collection program (NETC).Accordingly, National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has equipped all fee plazas with Electronic Toll Collection System. For ease in availability of  FASTag, NHAI has also launched MyFASTag APP.
The app will provide information regarding FASTag along with location of point of sales (POSs) and charging/ linking with NHAI/other wallets or bank accounts.According to the National Highways Fee (Determination of Rates and Collection) Rules, 2008, a FASTag lane in a toll plaza is reserved exclusively for movement of FASTag users.The radio-frequency identification (RFID)-based FASTag is affixed on the windscreen of the vehicle.
It allows for direct payment of fee from the prepaid or savings account linked to it and enables vehicles to drive through without stopping for transactions.The tag, which can be purchased from tag issuers, is multi-layered and made of good quality paper, containing chip and antenna inside its layers.All the major banks are offering the FASTag payment facilities. State Bank of India, ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank, Axis Bank and Kotak Mahindra Bank are part of the National Electronic Toll Collection (NETC) initiative rolled out by National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), under the guidelines of National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) and Indian Highways Management Company Limited (IHMCL).State Bank of India (SBI) - the country's largest lender - charges a security amount of Rs 200-400 for the issuance of RFID tags for different classes of vehicles.
This amount is refunded to the customer at the time of closure of the RFID tag account, according to the SBI FASTag website - fastag.onlinesbi.com.HDFC Bank charges one-time fee of Rs 200 plus service tax for issuance of FASTag.
The refundable security deposit depends on the vehicle type, the lender said on the website- fastag.hdfcbank.com