One Vehicle, One FASTag

One Vehicle, One FASTag

Context:

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has rolled out the ‘One Vehicle, One FASTag’ initiative starting from April 1, 2024.

  • This initiative of NHAI aims to discourage the use of a single FASTag for multiple vehicles or linking multiple FASTags to one vehicle

Relevance:
GS-02 (Government policies and interventions)

What is a FASTag?

  • FASTag is a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) device used for seamless toll payments while vehicles are in motion.
  • NHAI introduced two mobile apps, MyFASTag and FASTag Partner, to facilitate its availability. The tag, valid for five years, comes in seven different colors.

Benefits:

  • Road Users experience swift passage through toll plazas, convenient cashless toll payment, and reduced traffic congestion for shorter commute times.
  • Toll Operators benefit from lower operational costs, enhanced audit control through centralized user accounts, and increased capacity without infrastructure expansion.
  • The Government sees fuel savings and emissions reduction from decreased idling and repeated toll plaza stops, along with enhanced toll transaction transparency.

Fact for prelims:

  • Radio Frequency Identification: It is a technology that uses radio waves to passively identify a tagged object. The system has two basic parts: tags and readers.
    • The reader emits radio waves and receives signals from the RFID tag, while the tag utilizes radio waves to transmit its identity and additional data.
  • NHAI:
    • It was constituted by an Act of Parliament in 1988 under the administrative control of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways as a Central Authority to develop, maintain and manage the National Highways entrusted to it by the Government of India.
    • The panel consists of a full time Chairman, and not more than five full time Members and four part time Members who are appointed by the Central Government.