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The government is likely to unveil the option of cash recharge for FASTag to accelerate its adoption, as the penetration of electronic toll collection (ETC) has been sluggish after the toll collection via FASTags experienced a steep rise since December 15.
The hybrid lanes at the toll plazas have registered over 40% of traffic after the government made the use of FASTag mandatory in at least 75% of toll lanes at plazas across national highways.
“Right now, countrywide toll collection via FASTag is still at around 60%. While we saw a rampant increase in the first three weeks, the growth is stagnating now,” an official informed the media.
Another official aware of the matter said, “There are some toll plazas where the traffic flow is very less, so people are using the hybrid lane instead of FASTag ones.”
According to reports, from January 15, only one hybrid lane in each direction will be allowed at toll plazas in the country.
In order to enforce the new rules, the government is preparing to enforce penalties. But the question that remains is whether the unorganised sector is ready yet, especially in the trucking segment.
The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is responsible for the implementation of the ETC, which operates with the help of Radio Frequency Identification Technology (RFID) and facilitate drivers to pass through toll plazas without stopping for paying the toll tax.
