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View Poll Results: Do you support making Fastag compulsory for 3rd-party insurance?
Yes 59 28.64%
No 147 71.36%
Voters: 206. You may not vote on this poll

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Old 8th September 2020, 09:54   #31
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Re: Govt mulling to make Fastag compulsory for 4-wheeler 3rd party insurance

There is no NHAI toll 200 kms from my city. I never take my i10 beyond 4 kms of my home.
If I don’t have fastag I’ll have to pay twice the toll in cash( will easily cost 400-500 for a return journey)
Is this not enough?
Now why are you denying me insurance? How is it justified?
Feels like government is trying to help likes of paytm earn for free

Btw tolls have been going up during par few months, doesn’t catch media attention.
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Old 8th September 2020, 09:55   #32
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Re: Govt mulling to make Fastag compulsory for 4-wheeler 3rd party insurance

I found some of the negative opinions here odd. The most common rebuttal seems to be "I never drive through a toll". Why is our imagination limited to a toll plazas? This is basically a payments mechanism where application can b extended incredibly. Literally all places where you frequently make payments related to your vehicle can easily be integrated to your fastags. Parking lots, even fuel bunks. Heck even traffic fines. Standing beyond the stopline at a traffic signal? / Jumping a red light? A fastag detects it and auto deducts charges.

I have had a fastag since late last year. Frankly it's been an absolute breeze. In that time I've made a Mumbai-Goa run, ferried my family from Mumbai to Jaipur, made a couple of trips to Udaipur since and even a Jaipur-Lucknow run. My normal running is not so highway heavy, but even in Mumbai the local tolls are now accepting fastag. Do people get into fastag lanes and argue? Yes. Are there still delays sometimes (readers not working, closed fastag lanes)? Yes. But largely it's absolutely outstanding. By my calculations I saved an hour on the Jaipur-Lucknow run. The one toll where I did have to queue up, it took 12 mins. Every other, seconds.

If it is implemented well, and used well by the government, I have absolutely no issues with this.
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Old 8th September 2020, 10:32   #33
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Re: Govt mulling to make Fastag compulsory for 4-wheeler 3rd party insurance

Quote:
Originally Posted by Annibaddh View Post
Parking lots, even fuel bunks. Heck even traffic fines. Standing beyond the stopline at a traffic signal? / Jumping a red light? A fastag detects it and auto deducts charges.
+1
I too hope we go this way. Hoping we can make the drivers accountable, especially ones using commercial vehicles (including state transport vehicles).
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Old 8th September 2020, 10:35   #34
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Re: Govt mulling to make Fastag compulsory for 4-wheeler 3rd party insurance

Haha...

To all the insurance agencies and the acturail experts, please help in understanding me how does having a FasTag affect the risk of the vehicle. Just another random policy under pressure to push FasTags.

Mind you in Mumbai, the FasTag is not valid for the entry exit toll. The authorities should work on sorting this out to enable people to buy & use FasTag rather than making such arbit policies
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Old 8th September 2020, 10:38   #35
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Re: Govt mulling to make Fastag compulsory for 4-wheeler 3rd party insurance

I have a fastag attached to my car. I use it a just few times in a year. Despite its infrequent usage, I appreciate its convenience.

<start rant>
HOWEVER, linking fastag to insurance renewal is very very retrograde and an abhorrent attack at an individual's freedom of choice. The Government can do all it can to encourage people to get fastag, but if someone decides that they don't need (or want) it, then so be it. Linking a compulsory instrument (car insurance) with an optional one (fastag) just goes against the grain of freedom.
<end rant>

OK, lets get over the moralistic rant in the paragraph above. I am now going to examine this from a purely monetary perspective.
As of 2015, according to http://mospi.nic.in/ there were a total of 23.8 million private cars in India. Accounting for the fact that we don't count scrappage, and adding 5 years of growth, let us assume the correct number is about the same as of today. 24 million private cars on the road today.
Of the 24 million cars, lets assume 25% don't have fastag. Yes, yes, I know that percentage is probably very low, but let us go with it for now. So that is 6 million cars which don't have fastag.
So what happens when 6 million people buy fastag? Well, they pay for the tag itself, and they have to put in a Rs.200 deposit into their fastag account. 6 million (i.e., 60 lakh) multiplied by 200 each amounts to 120 crores.

I have no idea who holds the deposit amount, but someone out there is looking at this policy and salivating.
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Old 8th September 2020, 10:39   #36
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Re: Govt mulling to make Fastag compulsory for 4-wheeler 3rd party insurance

Could this move be motivated with a long term vision to start congestion pricing in certain areas of major cities?
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Old 8th September 2020, 10:43   #37
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Re: Govt mulling to make Fastag compulsory for 4-wheeler 3rd party insurance

Quote:
Originally Posted by Annibaddh View Post
Why is our imagination limited to a toll plazas? This is basically a payments mechanism where application can b extended incredibly. Literally all places where you frequently make payments related to your vehicle can easily be integrated to your fastags. Parking lots, even fuel bunks. Heck even traffic fines. Standing beyond the stopline at a traffic signal? / Jumping a red light? A fastag detects it and auto deducts charges.
Agreed.

But what prevents the authorities from saying so in very clear words? Why are they trying to hide behind the facade of insurance?

The real issue is that having seen the mindless shenanigans of the government, people have a hard time in believing its motives behind even simple measures. That trust is to be earned and not forced/commanded is a truth that the ivory tower babu's seem to forget a lot these days.

A FasTag should remain a FasTag and not metamorphose into an AADHAAR card for our car - simply because we weren't told about this when we signed up for it. If it is to be, then please say so loudly and then we will make our choice.

Quote:
I have had a fastag since late last year.
Been a user for a little longer and frankly, I won't ever dream of driving a FastTag-less car on highways.
Quote:
If it is implemented well, and used well by the government, I have absolutely no issues with this
IF!

Last edited by dailydriver : 8th September 2020 at 10:58.
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Old 8th September 2020, 10:53   #38
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Re: Govt mulling to make Fastag compulsory for 4-wheeler 3rd party insurance

My two cents on this move by the Road Transport Ministry :

1) Insurance is mandated by law under Motor vehicles Act and everyone needs to have his vehicle insured before driving/riding on a public road.Fast tag is not mandated by any act of parliament .Insurance should not be denied for want of fast tag.

2) Seems more to be just a way of harassing common motorists in the covid times .Has the govt /IRDA thought of reducing the third party insurance rates as the road accident fatalities are going to be less due to lockdown and minimum use of private vehicles atleast in the first quarter of FY 2020 -21.

3) The cars which are not being used in the NHAI tolled highway donot require such thing.Certain states still have their own tolled highways or entry fee system where fast tags donot work.

To continue my rant against the bad economics and good politics :

1) The recent changes in the Motor vehicles Act to reduce fatalities have brought certain draconian provisions like suspension of DL for 3 months in case of overspeeding, red light jumping etc which gives immense power to the cops/RTOs .Most of these provisions are being misused for extorting .

2) The public debt of NHAI and the related bankruptcies of the toll companies is adding to the burden on the common people .Many highways have been constructed at such high costs /km just to ensure that they exceed the minimum threshold of cost per km which will allow them to be tolled .The traffic doesnot justify such huge expenditures and in the end the toll operator declares bankruptcy leading to the budgetary support for PSU banks which had provided loan to the toll company/construction company at taxpayers expense.

And lastly ,with the present covid restrictions,requirement of e pass to travel inter state,friends and relatives avoiding to meet personally as a measure of precaution,No social gatherings or functions like marriages etc certainly the private vehicles can do without the mandatory fast tags.

However ,the government may make it compulsory for the commercial vehicles as they often have to criss cross across NHAI tolled highways.
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Old 8th September 2020, 11:28   #39
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Re: Govt mulling to make Fastag compulsory for 4-wheeler 3rd party insurance

This is ridiculous!

Earlier they said that a valid PUC is mandatory for insurance claims, now they want to make Fastag compulsory.

Soon you would be asked to get a covid test done before your auto insurance renewal.
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Old 8th September 2020, 11:31   #40
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Re: Govt mulling to make Fastag compulsory for 4-wheeler 3rd party insurance

I voted "NO". Paying toll is important but the method of payment should be left to the motorist. Electronic toll payment shouldn't be mandatory and penalizing someone for not having fastag is unfair. Govt can give cash back as an incentive to promote fastag. For comparison, almost all interstate highways are toll operated in USA but vehicles are not penalized for not paying electronically. If a non i-pass vehicle passes through i-pass lane, the owner gets 7 days time to pay the toll online. It should be as simple as that.
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Old 8th September 2020, 11:39   #41
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Re: Govt mulling to make Fastag compulsory for 4-wheeler 3rd party insurance

Ridiculous move. That's the way this cunning govt works to loot honest people. As long as my car has valid registration (which is linked to my address) and insurance (which is linked to the registration) and I have a valid driving license, and I'm willing to wait in the tool line for payment by cash, why the *** should I even be bothered with Fastag? I'm not even getting into the pros and cons (margins charged by banks) of the idea
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Old 8th September 2020, 11:40   #42
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Re: Govt mulling to make Fastag compulsory for 4-wheeler 3rd party insurance

What a fantastic step! I cannot wait for someone to seize my car that travels 500 km a year because I don't have its janampatri. Oh wait, I do. It's called a number plate. It's called an RC.

Quote:
Originally Posted by dailydriver View Post
A FasTag should remain a FasTag and not metamorphose into an AADHAAR card for our car - simply because we weren't told about this when we signed up for it. If it is to be, then please say so loudly and then we will make our choice.
You've hit the nail on the head.

Quote:
Originally Posted by 1.2TSI7DSG View Post
Mind you in Mumbai, the FasTag is not valid for the entry exit toll. The authorities should work on sorting this out to enable people to buy & use FasTag rather than making such arbit policies
Yes, I wonder how many people who are rah-rahing FasTag realise that it doesn't work to enter Mumbai? The most efficient city in the country, with the most efficient systems in the country, and I have to line up and pay cash every time I enter and exit towards Pune.

Quote:
Originally Posted by BaCkSeAtDrIVeR View Post
Extend this to 2 wheelers and all of a sudden, the roads will be less crowded.
Yet to see a FasTag on a 2W or a 3W. I might be mistaken.
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Old 8th September 2020, 11:52   #43
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Re: Govt mulling to make Fastag compulsory for 4-wheeler 3rd party insurance

Quote:
Originally Posted by dailydriver View Post
Agreed.

But what prevents the authorities from saying so in very clear words? Why are they trying to hide behind the facade of insurance?

The real issue is that having seen the mindless shenanigans. Been a user for a little longer and frankly, I won't ever dream of driving a FastTag-less car on highways.
Agree, that linking it with insurance is not the most direct way of doing it.

But they tried, didn't they? They tried making it compulsory, gave them away for free (for all those raising hue and cry on collection of funds) and even made a policy on charging twice the toll. Did the public still comply? Even with Free fastags, they didn't! As many have pointed out (and even I have seen multiple times), people still enter Fastag lanes, still argue on being charged double the toll (people have been shot for god's sake! shot!).

The issue here isn't cost and collection of funds and modus operandi. It is not unheard of for governments to use creative means to increase compliance, and globally. Particularly for an economy, and dare I say, a society like ours which is more up and coming for tools like driving. The issue is we don't comply with voluntary requests, traffic rules or pretty much any small inconvenience so long as we can pass that inconvenience to someone else - that is essentially what crowding a toll / jumping a lane at tolls, crossing stop lines is, isn't it? It's a small inconvenience, and a ridiculously small cost. I don't mind taking it.

Fastags make our journeys safer, quicker, less stressful. They can help increase compliance and help build more traffic sense. The government gave them for free. I'd rather them force every single one of us to buy them then be stuck behind the idiot who doesn't wanna pay twice the toll and holds up lanes or worse! I'd rather them force us to buy tags rather than have people dying because one idiot who thought red lights are more a guideline. And the only way we seem to learn is if it becomes too expensive not to.

Last edited by Annibaddh : 8th September 2020 at 11:58.
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Old 8th September 2020, 12:03   #44
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Re: Govt mulling to make Fastag compulsory for 4-wheeler 3rd party insurance

A very welcoming move, we should target 100% fastag coverage.

I would also like to have a hassle free experience at toll booths and the government should up their game in delivery and Management of fastags.
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Old 8th September 2020, 12:40   #45
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Re: Govt mulling to make Fastag compulsory for 4-wheeler 3rd party insurance

While travelling all around the world (due to my job), I merely see drivers are paying tolls by cash. Even I have seen multiple card system for various needs.

Govt’s push for Fastag is a welcome move. On a different note, why it can’t be implemented across all the toll platforms?

On my every trip of Gurgaon-Kolkata, three tolls are still taking in cash/card only, not by Fastag. Even recently launched KMP expressway not equipped with Fastag. JEW is a private player, thus Fastag does not work there.
I think all the Indian airport parking fees are also by cash and not seen any Fastag anywhere.

I feel, before Govt implement strict rules for compulsory Fastag on us, they must try to consolidate Fastag usage over all toll platforms first. No point of making a strict rule, where it only works on certain platforms.

P.S. In these Covid times, I felt very safe while passing through the tolls with-out any touch.

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