[ajayclicks]

Originally Posted by fusionbang

This office is exactly next to DMart, you need to take an immediate left after DMart and once you turn right again first building is BETL office. You can enter the gate and it has ample parking space.

Exact Location

Thanks. So if I am driving from silkboard, I have to take a U-turn?

[fusionbang]

Originally Posted by ajayclicks

Thanks. So if I am driving from silkboard, I have to take a U-turn?

Yes, take a u-turn as soon as you cross the BETL toll and get on to the service road immediately. Because there is no opening to get onto service road near DMart.

[SafeDrive0107]

I have two questions

1) I remember when Fastag was launched there was talk about 10% cashback for all recharges till end of 2016. Have any of you received the cashback? How do you receive the cashback - to the card account or as credit to your Fastag account?

2) Have any of you disputes a transaction? I paid by cash in the Thoppur toll as the system did not read my Fastag, but when I reached home I realized that I have been charges on the Fastag too. I took a photo of the toll receipt and I raised a complaint on 06-Sep. No response yet. Have any of you had successful reversals for disputes raised?

[sdp1975]

Originally Posted by SafeDrive0107

I have two questions

1) I remember when Fastag was launched there was talk about 10% cashback for all recharges till end of 2016. Have any of you received the cashback? How do you receive the cashback - to the card account or as credit to your Fastag account?

2) Have any of you disputes a transaction? I paid by cash in the Thoppur toll as the system did not read my Fastag, but when I reached home I realized that I have been charges on the Fastag too. I took a photo of the toll receipt and I raised a complaint on 06-Sep. No response yet. Have any of you had successful reversals for disputes raised?

I received a cashback about 2 months ago or so.

I've raised 2 disputed transactions with them. One was about being overcharged on the Mumbai-Pune expressway , that's still pending for the last 4 months.

The other one was similar to yours where I paid by cash but FASTag debited my account. I got a refund for this after raising a ticket.

My experience is that their customer service is quite poor . Most likely there are too many problems being reported and their support staff can't handle all the issues.

[fusionbang]

Originally Posted by ajayclicks

Thanks. So if I am driving from silkboard, I have to take a U-turn?

Do not go there for few more days, with all this cauvery issue, the situation is not good. Please avoid.

[ajayclicks]

Originally Posted by fusionbang

Do not go there for few more days, with all this cauvery issue, the situation is not good. Please avoid.

Noted. My travel starts from 6th October. As we get the tag across the counter, will go there around end-September.

[autobahnjpr]

Originally Posted by autobahnjpr

One question from the FASTAG experts on the forum - If you do a to and fro trip within a day which carries a lower Toll than a single trip and you have a fastag and do not pay cash, how much toll will get deducted?
Will it be charged individual single trip each side or the reduced charge for two way trip?

I went to Kalka this weekend and the FASTAG worked perfectly. It deducted lesser amount for two way travel in one day and I avoided the toll queue and the cash handling.

[mpksuhas]

Good news!
More banks to join Fastag implementation. However, hope that NHAI pushes toll operators to keep Fastag lanes open.

During last weekends, TBHP drive towards Kurnool on Bangalore - Hyderabad NH 44 (Old number NH7), none of the toll booths were accepting Fastag.

However, all these booths are Fastag enabled as per website. On ground, many of the booths doesnt even have work completed for dedicated lane.

I have raised a complaint mentioning the same to NHAI, yet to get any reply.


News link about new finiancial institutions joining Fastag.

Aiming to increase the number of automatic pass-throughs at toll plazas to 50 per cent in two years, the government has expanded the number of lenders and wallets, who can issue the electronic tags for vehicles, a top official said today.

State Bank of India, Punjab National Bank, IDFC Bank and the digital wallet PayTM will also start issuing the tags, which are required for electronic toll collection, National Highways Authority (NHAI) chairman Raghav Chandra said.

"Our intent is to have a seamless commutation at all the toll plazas. We have initially tied up with ICICI Bank and they have so far issued 60,000 pass tags. A few more banks are now coming forward to assist us in this project," he said.

The electronic toll collection operates at 356 toll plazas across now, he said, adding the newly-enlisted banks and PayTM have trial-runs for their system with the National Payments Corporation's central server.

The authority is targeting to increase the number of vehicles paying electronically to 50 per cent in the next two years, he said.

"Our intent is that we issue at least 50,000 pass tags every month and over the next 12-24 months nearly 50 per cent of the traffic movement across the toll plazas," Chandra said.

He said the authority is also urging the Reserve Bank to liberalise the KYC norms for such tags, which will help increase the usage.

It can be noted that each vehicle is provided with an RFID chip that helps in its identification and is pasted on the windshield of a vehicle. Dedicated readers installed at the toll plazas read the vehicle data and the sum to be paid gets deducted from the account or from the prepaid wallet linked to the tag.

[iVento]

Originally Posted by mpksuhas

During last weekends, TBHP drive towards Kurnool on Bangalore - Hyderabad NH 44 (Old number NH7), none of the toll booths were accepting Fastag.

I had gone to the airport on 13/9/2016 evening.
On return, used FasTag to pay the toll. They used a handheld scanner.
Today they have deducted Rs.120/- from my account.

[mpksuhas]

Originally Posted by iVento

I had gone to the airport on 13/9/2016 evening.
On return, used FasTag to pay the toll.

I guess this was the reason for confusion few pages earlier too. Remember hyd_traveller also facing issues similar to me.

Fastag is not working in toll booths on Hyderabad route. However, for Bangalore airport you would have been required to pay toll on way back to city.

This is a separate toll booth. And not the same one which Hyderabad - Bangalore traffic use. In the dedicated toll for airport lane, Fastag is working.

[aroop]

News link about new finiancial institutions joining Fastag.

It is heartening to know that other financial institutions are also expected to join the bandwagon.

ICICI Bank does not provide the same level of service as provided to their other (banking) customers. They have charges for tag recharge too! As per news, Axis Bank has also joined the bandwagon, but I am yet to find anything on their website.

It is evident that these banks do not consider fastag issuance profitable enough.

Some time back, I had read that mobile wallets such as paytm and mobikwik had shown interest in the scheme, but were turned down by NHAI. If they join, we can expect better services.

[glenmz]

Went to ICICI Bommanahalli branch to join the FASTag bandwagon.
The branch is next to Salarpuria Greenage / Oxford college. Was asked to go to the office behind the branch. Informed the security. After about 5 minutes a lady came out with the form and gave the instructions to fill this up. Gave RC copy, ID + address proof, cheque for Rs 500 and a passport size photograph. Told me that if I have an ICICI account, the process will take 4-5 days else 7-8 days. Was carrying my ICICI cheque book luckily. Said I will get to know the status in about 4 days via SMS. Overall, a smooth process.
Now the only thing that stands between me and the tag would be my signature (mismatch)

[ajayclicks]

Originally Posted by glenmz

Told me that if I have an ICICI account, the process will take 4-5 days else 7-8 days.

However, if we are getting this from BETL office, they are handing cards over the counter. Not sure why the branch has to take this much time.

[rajakumar]

Originally Posted by ajayclicks

However, if we are getting this from BETL office, they are handing cards over the counter. Not sure why the branch has to take this much time.

Probably ICICI bommanahalli branch is pathetic in their service.

My fastag activation is in bad shape. Long story short, got a tag with faulty licence plate mentioned, which got blacklisted, got another tag which is yet to be activated. This is going on for a month now.

I think, if first time activation goes through fine, it should all be good. Else no one has a clue on how to fix the issue.

[scopriobharath]

My experience in procuring FASTAG from ICICI bank Ambattur was pathetic.

• The previous day, I had received an SMS stating that my FASTAG was disabled. .
• I went to ambattur to collect it in person, just to discuss and sort out the issues.
• When I reached ambattur and went to second floor (Customer care), I was treated as new customer applying for fastag.
• I finally managed to reach Madhavan and get the tag.
• I went to Vanagaram NHAI office and requested one officer to verify and as expected the tag was "disabled" .
• Drove back to ICICI and got my tag replaced.
• Went back to the same NHAI Office and verified, Voila it worked this time and my tag was active.

Experience in using FASTAG on Chennai - Bangalore highway (upto Vaniyambadi)

Good Things

• Feels like a VIP to zip across, saving time, fuel and handling cash transaction.
• Can avoid Chips packets / chocolates / no-change scenarios
• Can avoid being a victim of short-changing tricks
• Can avoid opening of windows for maintaining privacy

Obervations:

• Used the dedicated ETC lanes. They are barricaded but security opens up the barriers once we honk / flash headlights and promptly closed the barrier behind us to prevent tail-gating non-fastag vehicles.
• At Chennasamudram toll, non fastag trucks were allowed on the fastag lane and it caused a delay.
• At Vellore Toll, the ETC is lane is to the extreme left, whereas Sriperumbudur and chennasamudram have them on the right-most lane.
• Can avoid those pestering vendors, who sell/beg to buy their overpriced stuff, even though I don't want it (sir sir sir - pls sir - just 20/- sir).

Observations:

• The ETC Lanes aren't consistent. All lanes on one side is preferred.
• They shouldn't allow non-FASTAG Vehicles in fastag lane. Period. It defeats the very purpose. Analogy 1)- Airtel Express doesn't offer any fast service. They take the same time, as any other normal outlet. Analogy 2) There is a road called IT "Expressway" in Chennai, but speed limit enforced is 40 kmph through Radar. Similarly, having other vehicles in FASTAG lane, doesn't show any fastness.
• Instead of a barrier, they could use a deterrent system of say non-fastag vehicles using fastag lane has a three-time toll fee. Since they are used to honking, it takes some time to grab the security's attention. (Similar to NJ transit trains - pre-purchased ticket is say $5 but purchased on train with the ticket inspector is $15)
• There should be instruction boards to inform to slow down to 10/15 kmph, for non-TBHP users, who wouldn't know to slow down near the reader. It should also say, don't tailgate - maintain minimum 30 feet from from the previous vehicle. This way, the toll operator can avoid verbal clashes with defaulters.
• The person/driver behind me becomes impatient and honks continously, when I maintain 30+ feet from the car in front of me. He expects me to maintain a bumper to bumper distance. I don't get too close, as there are instances reported where the person behind a car's fastag opened the boom for the car in front.
• There should be a user's manual given out with every tag, so as to list down the product and how to use it. But for TBHP, I would have been tailgating the vehicles and opening the boom for the vehicle in front.

Suggestions:

1. Process to procure at ICICI is too slow and cumbersome.
2. ICICI customer care should have the number of a physical person who coordinates fastag. (they give only phonebanking number)
3. Tags come from Mumbai (should be sufficiently stocked at least in metros)
4. ICICI should accept "cash" for initial payment, same as NHAI (Many don't carry a cheque)
5. They should expedite the process of accepting payment through Cheque for recharging / Top-up of fastag (similar to mobile bill / credit card payments). Apparently there is a process but is not active till now. This way, customer can avoid that inconvenience fee that providers charge.
6. The fastag should be extended to all state-highways at the earliest, so that the user is benefit (Example: FASTAG is NOT accepted as of today at any of the five toll booths on Rajiv Gandhi Road (OMR).