[R2D2]

Originally Posted by Mr.Bentley

Somehow missed checking balance in my (paytm) fastag. Realized that the funds are insufficient, only after getting the tag scanned at the plaza Apparently, recharging the wallet then and there doesn't suffice it seems. Toll collector said it always takes more time to get reflected into fastag wallet. Ended up paying double the toll fare (cash).

Happened to me 2 weeks ago at a toll booth on the Pune Bangalore Hwy heading towards KA. They will charge you 2x if the balance is insufficient or the tag is blacklisted for whatever reason. It takes a couple of hours for a recharge to reflect in the wallet and when done through other means for e.g. e-commerce sites like PayTM Amazon it would take longer.

And as for the customer support less said the better. My tag got deactivated due to KYC a full 2 years after it was issued. Truly a "what the heck?!" moment as my wife and I had to travel immediately due to a medical emergency. I couldnt charge it as it was marked as "credit freeze". All the docs were re-sent to the customer support email but HDFC Bank took 11 days to set things right.

So moral of the story - keep checking your Fastag wallet/account and tag operation because these guys take time for:

a) Updating KYC (weeks!)
b) Updating balance in wallet after recharge (few hours minimum)
c) Issuing new tags in case one is damaged. (weeks!) I moved from ICICI to HDFC due to this reason.

[JD1]

Originally Posted by JohnyBoy

Toll plaza - that was the last option. I wanted to avoid the delay or chaos there if possible.

Paytm or others - My friend wanted to travel immediately, was not a planned trip.

Ok, we got it. Many Akshaya Kendras and CSCs are partnering with banks and are issuing on the spot.

When I say Toll plaza - in this context it is not at the toll itself - it's on side before you hit the plazas so you are not causing any congestion.

[DigitalOne]

Slightly off-track question.
How do Fastag providers like banks or Paytm make money? They do incur a lot of recurring costs (call centres, IT infra, marketing....).

They are charging only the initial tag cost (+delivery) of 99/-, and that is definitely not enough to cover all recurring costs. So how is Fastag profitable for banks/Paytm?

[GTsunny]

Originally Posted by pjbiju

It took us nearly an hour to pass the two plazas.

I don’t understand how is it beneficial if it takes as much time, if not more, to cross the toll plaza with FasTags as compared to cash payments, I hope improvements happen and wait times are reduced. __/\__

Also, I would like our fellow members to share their knowledge and experience, what would happen if your FasTag wallet has sufficient balance but, the system at the toll plaza doesn’t recognise it and, the guys at the toll booth tell you that your FasTag doesn’t have sufficient balance and you now have to pay double the toll, has anyone faced this and if yes, then what would you suggest as solution pl thanks?

[saum1230]

Originally Posted by DigitalOne

How do Fastag providers like banks or Paytm make money? They do incur a lot of recurring costs (call centres, IT infra, marketing....).

They earn 0.5% to 3% on recharges, so that's one source of ongoing income they will have, as a lot of fastag owners would probably stick to recharging from respective their issuers. This is the direct income.

Indirectly, apart from the commission, they also benefit from having a share of consumers' digital spendings. A customer recharging their Fastag from HDFC regularly might also get a credit card with the same bank. This is also the reason why these banks encourage customers to pay all bills (electricity, phone, etc.) via them despite the tiny margins... it's a way to cross-sell to them and to have them stick around for longer.

[binand]

Originally Posted by GTsunny

I don’t understand how is it beneficial if it takes as much time, if not more, to cross the toll plaza with FasTags as compared to cash payments, I hope improvements happen and wait times are reduced.

When I got my Fastag back in 2017 or so, it indeed was a massive time saver (like, ~1 hour saved in a Bangalore-Chennai drive). In those days it was worth waiting in line with 5-6 other cars in the sole tag-enabled lane even if the cash lanes had 1-2 vehicles, because the tag lane would move that much faster.

Then the government started its nudges. First was I believe mandatory tags with new vehicles. So a bunch of people got tags, and at least some of them rushed into the (still single) Fastag lane without knowing about tag balance or recharge processes. Tag lanes started becoming slower. I still persisted.

The next move was to have all lanes as hybrid lanes (and the single tag-only lane retained). This move did not help at all - it didn't save an iota of time if you entered any of the hybrid lanes, so you still had to seek out the tag-only lane. But at least, this didn't make things worse.

Then came the 50-50 rule. This was really a major bummer. Pretty much at all toll plazas the non-tag vehicles started blocking the approach to the tag lanes because they were still in majority, and the number of lanes servicing them were suddenly halved. I remember in one instance, I had to wait for ~20 minutes for traffic to clear sufficiently at the Pampampallam toll plaza so that I could break free from the non-tag crowd and approach any of the 4 or so tag-only lanes.

I haven't travelled since all toll booths went Fastag only, but I expect the situation to have further deteriorated. The only saving grace I can see is the NHAI press release that said toll collections have gone up from 85 Cr to 104 Cr per day in some timeframe (I am assuming that basically, leakage to the tune of ~20 Cr per day has been plugged by Fastag).

In the next phase, government has to make "clean Fastag" mandatory. Maybe at the time of re-registration, PUC, fuel sale, fitness certificate - whatever. The product has potential, it only needs committed administrative attention.

[TrackDay]

On a side note, I saw someone on social media talking about replacing a cracked windshield. One doubt I have is whether we can use the same fast tag on the new windshield ? Or do they give copies on basis of our fast tag ID ?

The reason I am asking this is because some fast tags are linked to proximity toll stations to enable a free pass. Going for an all new fast tag will mean having to visit officials again to prove that the car is eligible for a free pass.

[DigitalOne]

Originally Posted by saum1230

They earn 0.5% to 3% on recharges, so that's one source of ongoing income they will have, as a lot of fastag owners would probably stick to recharging from respective their issuers. This is the direct income.

Ok, I didn't know that they get a commission on recharges. So I am assuming NHAI/NETC is paying them the commission? Is that the case?

[sachinpk]

Originally Posted by TrackDay

On a side note, I saw someone on social media talking about replacing a cracked windshield. One doubt I have is whether we can use the same fast tag on the new windshield ? Or do they give copies on basis of our fast tag ID ?

First hand information, as I just got my windshield replaced yesterday. If you have stuck your FasTag onto the windshield and if the windshield gets damaged/broken, you will have replace the tag. I have now affixed a new FasTag to the windshield but using cello tape (so that I can remove it if needed). What I did was to call up the call centre of Axis Bank my FasTag provider and ask for replacement. They charge Rs. 100/- for the same.

Originally Posted by sachinpk

Contacted their call centre and they raised a request for a replacement. So far so good. I got an SMS message that my request is closed. But I cannot get any details on the web portal. I cannot check for the service request, its status etc.

An update here. I received the new FasTag today, that is three days after I placed my request (on 24th Feb).Their web site does not provide updates on service requests, so I had to make calls to their call centre. Yesterday they gave me the tracking number from BlueDart, and I got it delivered today. The delivery time lines seems to be good .

[abhi7013]

Does anyone know if there a way where we can apply for a new tag for another car under the same account/customer ID for icici bank? I couldn't find any option for the same on the portal.

[Sankar]

Originally Posted by abhi7013

Does anyone know if there a way where we can apply for a new tag for another car under the same account/customer ID for icici bank? I couldn't find any option for the same on the portal.

There should be a method to get a second tag for the second car under the same account. But as you say I also could not do this on the ICICI fastag website and bought the tag by creating a second account as it was needed urgently for an upcoming trip. Btw this was in Dec 2019. Maybe you should get in touch with the customer service and ask them about this if you can wait for the tag. It makes tag wallet management easier.

[itwasntme]

Originally Posted by abhi7013

Does anyone know if there a way where we can apply for a new tag for another car under the same account/customer ID for icici bank? I couldn't find any option for the same on the portal.

Originally Posted by Sankar

But as you say I also could not do this on the ICICI fastag website and bought the tag by creating a second account as it was needed urgently for an upcoming trip.

Cannot be dinner online. I got my second car added to the same account at a ICICI FASTag PoS counter within 10 minutes flat. I can now see both my cars under the same customer ID.

[abhi7013]

Originally Posted by itwasntme

Cannot be dinner online. I got my second car added to the same account at a ICICI FASTag PoS counter within 10 minutes flat. I can now see both my cars under the same customer ID.

That sounds good! Any idea how we might be able to locate these PoS in any given city (like Bangalore)?

[Sankar]

Originally Posted by itwasntme

Cannot be dinner online. I got my second car added to the same account at a ICICI FASTag PoS counter within 10 minutes flat. I can now see both my cars under the same customer ID.

Thank you!

Did you visit the ICICI bank sales office or the PoS at toll plaza to get this done? Website says their bank sales office caters to only corporate and fleet owners.

Originally Posted by abhi7013

That sounds good! Any idea how we might be able to locate these PoS in any given city (like Bangalore)?

You can find the PoS location near to you from this link below:

https://www.icicibank.com/Personal-B...location.page#

[itwasntme]

Originally Posted by Sankar

You can find the PoS location near to you from this link below:

https://www.icicibank.com/Personal-B...location.page#

Thanks, useful link. I got mine from the Doddaballapura Road plaza where Vinay (the ICICIB rep) has a permanent desk. I think all the providers have set up such kiosks now at all toll plazas.

You can contact Vinay and check with him on 6362223632.