Global Digital Summit: FASTag for facilitating traffic movement at toll plazas 

KOCHI: Hassle-free passage of vehicles through toll plazas is set to become a reality with the introduction of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID)-enabled technology, providing special stickers to the vehicles and separate queues for them at toll booths.

Introduced by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and RBI’s National Payment Cooperation of India (NPCI), FASTag has received tremendous response at Kerala’s first-ever two-day Global Digital Summit, #FUTURE, which began at Le Meridien, in Kochi today. Federal Bank has opened a stall at the venue.

As of now, major banks, including Federal Bank, ICICI, State Bank of India and Axis Bank are issuing the sticker facility as there are stringent norms to follow. The RFID-enabled technology saves time and rush at toll booths as there are separate queues for the vehicles with FASTag through which they can pass without stopping for cash transactions. The user has to paste the sticker on the top middle portion of the windshield behind the rear view mirror with the adhesive side facing out.

“In Kerala, FAStags can be used at the busy Walayar (Palakkad), Paliyekkara (Thrissur) and Aroor (Ernakulam) toll plazas. Normally, a vehicle would take around 15-20 minutes to pass through these toll booths. All over India, this technology has been implemented in 397 toll booths,” said Jithesh P V, Digital Head, Federal Bank, Aluva.