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-   -   FASTag: All you need to know about procuring & using it! (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/street-experiences/179085-fastag-all-you-need-know-about-procuring-using-371.html)

Hello,

1. Can a single car have 2 fast tags on the windshield ?
My car already has an existing fast tag. Since I am residing close to a toll station, I heard they are issuing fast tags for vehicles in the proximity that will enable them to pass the barrier free of cost. The dilemma is because I am not sure if I can recharge the free pass fast tag and hence might need to retain the older one in case I pass other Toll stations far away.

2. Also in the presence of two fast tags, what is to stop the machine from scanning the paid tag (older tag) when I am eligible for a free journey.

Both tags will get debited when you pass through the toll booth (enough first-hand experiences to confirm this).

Your existing tag can be configured to be within the proximity rules of the toll booth near your home that you don't need to buy a new one.

For those who still haven't gotten their fastags, you can also check out www.ackodrive.com/fastag

They don't charge any security deposit and don't require any documents to be submitted to them. Fairly easy process although I did face some technical glitches there too.

But very responsive helpdesk and quick and easy processing of your request.

Last Weekend I was on a highway trip to Gujarat from Thane (mahrashtra). I had forgotten to recharge my fastag and it had around 100 rupees balance. Just when I was about to cross Vasai I realised that I have not recharged my IDBI fastag so I immediately pulled the vehicles to one side and recharged 500 rupees through GooglePay and got a confirmation also and proceeded with my journey. The first toll (virar) went past smoothly so did the second one (Charoti) while crossing Vapi tollbooth my car couldnt pass through and the attendant said there is no balance. I was surprised and showed him the message that I have recharged two hours back but he said the system shows no balance so I have to pay now double toll in cash. Had no other option but to pay as the vehicles behind me were getting impatient in the whole process.

Then after crossing the toll booth I rechecked what had happened. Called up IDBI helpline and after 20 minutes could speak to CC executive who said the recharge amount has not yet got credited to your fastag account and it sometimes takes more than a day to reflect the credit and I should have added the amount previous day itself. I crossed one more toll by paying cash and I received message for fastag credit late in the evening that day, after almost 12 hours of actual recharge.

I dont know why there cant be instant recharges and debit messages just like a prepaid sim card in case of Fastag.

I guess problem is with individual banks, I haven't seen such problem in SBI, ICICI or Paytm fastag.

Time to do away with these bank fastag and NHAI should have one tag with instant recharge facility any bank or any wallet. I don't know why NHAI involved banks for distributing fastag at 1st place, making it such a complicated process.

Correct! binand is absolutely right - if your local tollbooth operator is issuing a FASTag (and not some kind of proprietary tag which is very unlikely), simply ask them to add the local resident exemption to your existing one. It is a 2 minute online process which I have seen being done in front of me.

Did you pay via UPI directly to your IDBI netc UPI account? If so the credit should have been immediate as per my personal experience with Paytm, HDFC & ICICI FASTags. Please raise a query with IDBI anyway saving all screenshots and time stamps.

I believe NHAI have updated their Fastag readers. It's really fast and efficient now. Wait times have reduced by 75% now. No need to come to a complete stop anymore.

They did something right this time around.

Yes I paid via UPI directly to IDBI netc and I usually do that every time it gets credited almost immediately but that day it took a almost half a day and as far as taking up with IDBI is concerned, I dont have patience to go through ordeal of connecting to their customer care.

Personally i would always prefer HDFC as i had HDFC tag in my previous car, but in the new car the IDBI tag came fitted via dealer so have to live with it now.

Yes, I was pleasantly surprised with the time took for reading the tags.
I didn't even come to a full stop in 3 of the tolls I passed out of 5 tolls.

Do you know when this was done and is it across toll plazas ? Any news link / recent experience ?

Which tolls did you pass through ? Trying to understand on what highways they've completed the reader updates.

Chennai to Vellore: 2 toll plazas. Both were quite fast. My dad, who had travelled on the same stretch a month ago, said it was never this quick before.

But to be honest, while going back, the other side of the toll plaza near Chitoor road diversion was totally choked for around 800 metres. Must have been a fight regarding the double toll charges for non Fastag users.

Having been in an allied industry, one of the major reasons behind the slow response times were not because of the readers, but because of inadequate Internet links at that particular toll plaza. FASTag is an active tag whose balance is checked OLRT with your online FASTag account. Hence the delays.

Just get a HDFC FASTag from any PoS and activate it. Then deactivate and cancel your IDBI one. I did that when I seamlessly moved from HDFC to ICICI.

I was returning back from Shimoga to Bangalore last weekend and the tolls at Sira, Tumkur and Nelamangala were quite fast in reading the tags. Even before the barricade closed fully, it used to reopen.

Hello Friends, is FasTag absolutely mandatory on an older car ? Even if it is not to be taken out on highways and will always be used within city limits.


Cheers!!

My understanding is that you cannot be challaned for not having fastag irrespective of the age of the car. So unless you don't cross any Toll tax levied road, you should be fine.

But the counter argument can be why so grumpy around fastag when you are getting it free or with a minimal amount? You can always choose not to use it even if it is pasted on your car.