National
Highways Authority of India launched two mobile Apps – MyFASTag and FASTag
Partner in New Delhi today, to facilitate the availability of FASTags for
Electronic Toll Collection. Speaking on the occasion the NHAI Chairman Shri
Deepak Kumar said the cumbersome method of purchase and recharge of FASTags has
been one of the major challenges with the ETC project. The mobile Apps launched
today will ease the process, making it possible to buy or recharge FASTags at
the click of a mobile button.
MyFASTag
is a consumer App that can be downloaded from the App Store for both Android
and iOS systems. A consumer can purchase or recharge FASTags on this App. The
App also helps to keep track of transactions and provides for online grievance
redressal.
FASTag
Partner is a merchant App. Agencies like Common Services Centre,
banking partners and vehicle dealers can sell and enroll FASTag through this
App. In addition to this, the App can also be used to activate the RFID tags
that came built in with around 74 lakh cars in the country following the 2013
Gazette Notification in this regard. These RFID tags are already fixed on the
cars but are dormant. This App will convert these RFID tags into ETC Tag
(FASTag).
Shri Deepak Kumar also
informed that from 1st October 2017, all lanes of all 371 NHAI toll
plazas in the country will become FASTag enabled. One lane in every toll plaza
will be a dedicated FASTag lane where no other form of payment will be
accepted. The other lanes, though FASTag enabled, can accept other forms of
payment too. The dedicated FASTag lanes will become operational on all 371 NHAI
toll plazas from 1st September 2017, he said.
In
addition to the above, NHAI has also come up with Online sale of FASTags
and offline sale through Common Services Centre (CSC) near toll plazas. FASTag
can now be purchased online from Issuer Banks websites / NHAI website / IHMCL
website and will be delivered by courier at the door step of the purchaser. Beginning
tomorrow, 18th August, 2017, FASTags can also be bought from sale
points of Common Services Centre (CSC) to be set up near toll plazas.
CSC has a proven track record of making 20 crore Adhar Cards and achieving many
other milestones of Digital India in short duration due to their vast network.
It is expected that the association with CSC will give the ETC ecosystem a
further boost.
More
than 6 lakh FASTags have been sold so far. It is expected that these
initiatives for improving the availability and access to FASTags will encourage
more and more people to buy them. This will give the much needed push to the
ETC project that aims to make travel more convenient, faster and environment
friendly for people.
To access the presentation on the mobile Apps click here.
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