[Secretariat]

Miracles do happen.

After a long time, yesterday night the FASTAG lane at Devanahalli actually worked as it is meant to. There was a guy sitting on top of the lane, only tag holders were allowed through and the boom barrier opened smoothly on the tag being read. The other lanes all had a million cars admiring the scenery and listening the Beethoven's Second Car Horn Symphony.

I sailed through without stopping. I am still reeling in shock.

[arun_josie]

This is how the fastag experience should be - Karur to Dindigul toll plaza. No security attendant to stop you for verification, no barricades, no need to stop for detection, no speed beakers. It was a breeze through this toll.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CNAF...ature=youtu.be

[bejoy]

Originally Posted by arun_josie

This is how the fastag experience should be - Karur to Dindigul toll plaza. No security attendant to stop you for verification, no barricades, no need to stop for detection, no speed beakers. It was a breeze through this toll.

Yes, this is how it should be.

I drove from Kochi yesterday and except Thrissur (Paliyekkara), all the ETC lanes were dedicated. There were party-spoilers, drivers who were arguing with the guard to let them in and many non-tagged vehicles would follow them, creating a mess. But none of them were allowed in and were turned back. But lost lot of time due to this.

Kudos to those guards and the toll operators and all the BHPians here who had complained to NHAI for allowing non-tag vehicles to the ETC lane.

[NPV]

Recent Fastag experience on a Bangalore-Chennai-Bangalore trip:
Onward:
BETL - Dedicated lane, Tag automatically detected, quick pass

Attibele - Dedicated lane, Tag automatically detected, quick pass

Krishnagiri - Dedicated lane, entry to barricaded lane controlled by security guard and he used a hand-held scanner. Couple of trucks in front, but moved fast

Vaniyambadi - Dedicated lane, entry to barricaded lane controlled by security guard. Couple of trucks in front, moved fast but automatic tag detection failed, attendant used a hand-held device.

Pallikonda - Dedicated lane, entry to barricaded lane controlled by security guard. Moved fast but automatic tag detection failed, attendant asked me to back up and bit and then it worked.

Chennasamudram - Dedicated lane, many vehicles including trucks, took about 5 minutes to move and tag was detected automatically.

Sriperumbudur - Dedicated lane used by all vehicles, many vehicles including trucks, tag was detected automatically at the booth. Moved quite quickly.

Notes:
*At Vaniyambadi, Pallikonda, Chennasamudram - drive slowly into the lane and stay as close as possible to the sidewall of the toll booth, the sensor is a few feet ahead of the booth almost where the toll plaza roof/shelter begins

*The Fastag lanes at Vaniyambadi, Pallikonda, Chennasamudram and Sriperumbudur are on right side either the very first lane next to median or the second from median. Also, lanes are numbered from right and there is confusing signage (clearly remember the one at Chennasamudram that says "Fastag - Lane 1, Keep Left")

Return:
Sriperumbudur - Dedicated lanes used by all vehicles and tag was detected at the booth.

Chennasamudram - Tag was detected automatically.

Pallikonda - Toll plaza had long lines in all lanes. Fastag lane was full of buses and other vehicles, security guard managed traffic well and helped with quick movement of vehicles.

Vaniyambadi - Automatic detection failed, had to back up and then it worked!

Krishnagiri - Crazy lines were beginning to form, luckily I stuck behind a bus on lane 2 from left (Fastag lane was difficult to identify due to zig zagging long lines) and there were security guards controlling entry with barricades, was fast from the barricaded point onwards. There was no display at the booth, did not get an SMS for this so far.

Attibele - Ditto like Krishnagiri

BETL - Dedicated lane, tag was automatically detected

*As I've said before, I prefer the arrangements like at Sriperumbudur - Fastag lane can used by all vehicles, tag detection happens at booth that is managed by an attendant, worst case a hand-held device can be used.
Contrast this with a dedicated lane that is not manned by an attendant at the booth, but a security guard lets vehicles in one by one and if auto detection of tag fails, it just slows things down.
The middle path is probably a dedicated lane with an unmanned booth (no attendant at the booth) but the security guard has a barricade to control entry and also has a hand-held scanner. I've seen this arrangement in some of the tolls on the Bangalore-Pune route.

"Bangalore-Chennai-Bangalore route update in my earlier post here" - http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/route-...ml#post4210710

[hserus]

Chennai to Madurai on the GST Road yesterday at least two tolls had their fastag lane completely blocked and non functional so I had to pay cash

Boothakudi and chittampatti both operated by "eagle deep Trichy bypass tollways"

[arun_josie]

Originally Posted by hserus

Chennai to Madurai on the GST Road yesterday at least two tolls had their fastag lane completely blocked and non functional so I had to pay cash

Boothakudi and chittampatti both operated by "eagle deep Trichy bypass tollways"

This is one bad stretch for Fastag users, Chennai - Madurai - Kanyakumari. 2 toll between Trichy - Madurai and then 4 tolls from Madurai till Kanyakumari has Fastag lanes but for the last 6-7 months its not activated. One of the major highways in TN but no Fastag enabled toll for at least 350Kms.

[mjumrani]

BILAL toll working the way it is supposed to. First time in last 3 months it worked automatically. I guess the complaints to NHAI did work.

[hserus]

Originally Posted by arun_josie

This is one bad stretch for Fastag users, Chennai - Madurai - Kanyakumari. 2 toll between Trichy - Madurai and then 4 tolls from Madurai till Kanyakumari has Fastag lanes but for the last 6-7 months its not activated. One of the major highways in TN but no Fastag enabled toll for at least 350Kms.

I asked two or three different toll people what the reason is for fastag not working

One guy said there was going to be some road work so fastag was disabled

Yet another guy claimed that thunder / lightning strikes had damaged the fastag sensor and it was yet to be replaced

The noble art of telling fairy tales is alive and well in south tamil nadu I see.

[prkiran]

Originally Posted by hserus

Boothakudi and chittampatti both operated by "eagle deep Trichy bypass tollways"

Fastag lane at both these tollgates were operational during my trip in the first week of May. So for my regular Chennai - Trivandrum drives now there is a grand total of 3 Fastag enabled tollgates

Originally Posted by arun_josie

This is one bad stretch for Fastag users, Chennai - Madurai - Kanyakumari. 2 toll between Trichy - Madurai and then 4 tolls from Madurai till Kanyakumari has Fastag lanes but for the last 6-7 months its not activated. One of the major highways in TN but no Fastag enabled toll for at least 350Kms.

Had raised a grievance on pgportal regarding the non functional tollgates in the Madurai - Kanyakumari stretch and got a response sometime around mid-May that the toll operator has been changed and would be reactivating Fastag 'soon'. How soon would that be is now anybody's guess I think.

[arun_josie]

Originally Posted by hserus

Yet another guy claimed that thunder / lightning strikes had damaged the fastag sensor and it was yet to be replaced

This was the reason given to me at Nanguneri toll.

And once they told me that there is some legal agreement issue with the contractor who is handling the 3 tolls between Madurai and Kanyakumari.

[aadya]

Originally Posted by NPV

Recent Fastag experience on a Bangalore-Chennai-Bangalore trip:
Onward:
BETL - Dedicated lane, Tag automatically detected, quick pass

Attibele - Dedicated lane, Tag automatically detected, quick pass

Krishnagiri - Dedicated lane, entry to barricaded lane controlled by security guard and he used a hand-held scanner. Couple of trucks in front, but moved fast

Vaniyambadi - Dedicated lane, entry to barricaded lane controlled by security guard. Couple of trucks in front, moved fast but automatic tag detection failed, attendant used a hand-held device.

Pallikonda - Dedicated lane, entry to barricaded lane controlled by security guard. Moved fast but automatic tag detection failed, attendant asked me to back up and bit and then it worked.

Chennasamudram - Dedicated lane, many vehicles including trucks, took about 5 minutes to move and tag was detected automatically.

Sriperumbudur - Dedicated lane used by all vehicles, many vehicles including trucks, tag was detected automatically at the booth. Moved quite quickly.

Travelled same route on 27th and 28th of May.

All the Fastag lanes were functional, no difficulty in automatic reading of the tag. Except Krishnagiri where hand held scanner is used to read even before the lane entry. Sriperumpudur is chaotic with other vehicles entering and delaying the process. Overall saved about 30 minutes each direction due to Fastag. Though still long way to go, progress is in right direction.

[hserus]

Originally Posted by arun_josie

This was the reason given to me at Nanguneri toll.

And once they told me that there is some legal agreement issue with the contractor who is handling the 3 tolls between Madurai and Kanyakumari.

Yup this was at Nanguneri. So at least they're consistent with the story.

I didn't see any signs of burnt sensor equipment but they might have removed it, who knows.

Contractor issues and so they want the cash in hand instead of fighting with the courts / government to credit it might be the reason they deliberately stopped offering fastag.

[Altocumulus]

I applied for Fastag yesterday from Axis Bank and the tag got delivered today itself. Sent the documents to Mr. Nalluri over email and he himself delivered the Tag to my place today. Great service till now He mentioned that it would be activated by tomorrow.

[dass]

Originally Posted by ad75

Got my FASTag delivered at home in 7 days flat.

Called up ICICI bank customer care placed a request for fastag. no documentation required.Guess they use the KYC docs submitted to them.

Didn't work for me. I called their ICICI Fastag customer care and they said they cannot send me the tag through post. I am an existing ICICI Bank customer, but he said I have to visit the POS to get the tag.

[aadya]

Originally Posted by dass

Didn't work for me. I called their ICICI Fastag customer care and they said they cannot send me the tag through post. I am an existing ICICI Bank customer, but he said I have to visit the POS to get the tag.

Try this number 9480058927. This gentleman is a Fastag executive in Bangalore who collected the documents and delivered it to me from ICICI. He might be able to help you(if he is still with ICICI). I don't remember his name.