[vnabhi]

Originally Posted by govigov

. Glad that the tag is active now.

Great to hear this. I guess this is now a benchmark for activation---takes minimum one week from the date of delivery.

[vvijayakrishnan]

Originally Posted by Kelly66

Chennai to Pondy out of 4 tolls only 1 had ETC. Rest of the journey was completely on Fastag

Isn't ETC and Fastag one and the same? As for as my understanding goes Fastag is the brand name used for ETC service at toll booths.

[sbala]

Nowadays, i feel disappointed with Fastag setup at the toll booths in Bangalore - Coimbatore route. All idiotic folks who don't have fastag queue up in front of fastag lane. Though the lane is manned, that person has to divert those non-fastag cars to another lane. This defeats one of the purpose of fastag.

And these are the so called techies of Indian Silicon Valley who queue up in front without a fastag and create all the issues to open the fastag lane for them

[treadmark]

Folks - Need your expert advice.

Bought a second vehicle for my wife. Vehicle is still on the name of first owner since we are waiting for the no objection certificate from VW finance post the foreclosure. Hence name change is not going to happen at-least for 4 ~ 6 weeks.
We have to take quite a few road this month and having a fast tag in the second vehicle is preferred.
Considering all these which one should I go for, Paytm, Equitas or ICICI (have an account with ICICI bank if that be of any help).
If we procure through Paytm / Equitas will they courier the tag to RC owner address or do we have an option to be delivered to our home / office address.

Thank you in advance.

[beingyukeit]

Experience with PayTM Fastag

First thigns first. Previously I had an HDFC Fastag which I had pasted on the windshield. I couldn't remove it completely myself so had to ask the service centre guys to use alcohol solutions to get rid of it. They did. This time I stuck it on a clear film. If needed, I can remove the film and done!

Instructions for pasting Fastag on a clear film (semi-permnanent):

1. Get a transparency sheet (used in projectors). Get one as clean as possible.
2. Keeping the Fastag on the sheet, mark four corners leaving some space on all four sides of the tag. This space will be used to stick a double-sided tape.
3. Cut a rectangular patch from the sheet.
4. Remove the back sticker of the tag and apply the tag to the cut-out sheet.
5. Use a double-sided clear tape and stick it to two diagonally opposite corners. 2 tapes will be enough do not over use them.
6. Now stick your entire setup to the windshield in a location you consider the best. Mine is marginally on the right side of the RVM.

Mumbai - Pune Expressway (Things to note)

1. All the lanes on both the tolls on the Mumbai - Pune expressway have ETC scanners. You DO NOT necessarily have to be in the ETC marked lane. I guess this is why all vehicles are allowed in all lanes.
2. I was charged only Rs. 138 each time for using the entire expressway all the way to Pune and also back to Mumbai.
3. PayTM SMS instruction comes within minutes of crossing the tolls, with details available from the app (both in Passbook as well as Transactions in Manage Fastags sections)
4. ETC marked lanes are usually filled with numerous heavy vehicles. Not all of them have tags.

As you can see in the attachment, I have used an ETC lane once and a non-ETC lane as well and both times the tag worked.

[sairamboko]

Originally Posted by sbala

Nowadays, i feel disappointed with Fastag setup at the toll booths in Bangalore - Coimbatore route. All idiotic folks who don't have fastag queue up in front of fastag lane. Though the lane is manned, that person has to divert those non-fastag cars to another lane. This defeats one of the purpose of fastag.

And these are the so called techies of Indian Silicon Valley who queue up in front without a fastag and create all the issues to open the fastag lane for them

This is so true!! While returning back from Tiruppur on 2nd Oct, I was stuck in a mess created by our techies and educated folks! They want to enter the fastag lane as its free and blocked it. I was stuck behind this mess and was not able to enter the fastag lane for 10 mins even though it was free. This was in Krishnagiri toll plaza. Later, 5 security guys came and a big fight ensued with all pleasantries!! Got a small gap somehow and went to the fasttag lane. Despite this delay, fastag saved me a good 15 mins because of the huge jam. Hopefully better sense prevails among our educated folks.

[beingyukeit]

Originally Posted by treadmark

Considering all these which one should I go for, Paytm, Equitas or ICICI (have an account with ICICI bank if that be of any help).

PayTM might take time to arrive. But once it does, it's the easiest one to manage. PayTM is your best option in the longer run. If you need urgently, go for Equitas, they have pretty fast turnaround. 3-4 days I guess. No idea about ICICI.

Originally Posted by treadmark

If we procure through Paytm / Equitas will they courier the tag to RC owner address or do we have an option to be delivered to our home / office address.

I guess you can get it delivered to your address but you will need to show some proof (in addition to the RC) that you have transferred the vehicle from the previous owner.

[libranof1987]

Does it make sense to get FASTag if you're not a regular traveler? I mean, in terms of account balance that expires, or minimum periodic balance?

I do travel a lot but mostly on highways that don't have tolls (eg. Pune - Aurangabad, Pune-Konkan through Tamhini).

However, for those rare Pune - Mumbai or Pune - Goa runs, I wonder if having FASTag can make a difference.

I know I can do without it but thinking, why not use a facility that's available.

[beingyukeit]

Originally Posted by libranof1987

Does it make sense to get FASTag if you're not a regular traveler? I mean, in terms of account balance that expires, or minimum periodic balance?

There is no such thing as minimum periodic balance or expiring balance. I travel only once a month or once every two months and I have a Fastag. It's pretty convenient.

[pathik]

Finally received my FASTag through EquitasBank. The wait was a little longer than I had anticipated - order placed on 22nd September and it was approved and shipped on 27th September. It was delivered yesterday and the Tag is active. Now to try it during my small vacation trip next weekend

[vnabhi]

Originally Posted by libranof1987

Does it make sense to get FASTag if you're not a regular traveler? I mean, in terms of account balance that expires, or minimum periodic balance?

I know I can do without it but thinking, why not use a facility that's available.

If you also use Meru cabs or Uber, then order via Paytm. I chose this option for the same reason. The Paytm balance can be used for any of them.

However, it took nearly 3 weeks for the delivery and activation, so please keep this in mind.

But after it is activated, Paytm will be a breeze to maintain and re-charge.

[tharian]

Originally Posted by pathik

Finally received my FASTag through EquitasBank. The wait was a little longer than I had anticipated - order placed on 22nd September and it was approved and shipped on 27th September. It was delivered yesterday and the Tag is active. Now to try it during my small vacation trip next weekend

Did you have to do anything to make it active ?

I got mine through Equitas as well within a week from placing the order. It has the minimum 100 plus another 100 I put in. How do I know it is active and will work when I go through a toll booth?

[pathik]

Originally Posted by tharian

Did you have to do anything to make it active ?

I got mine through Equitas as well within a week from placing the order. It has the minimum 100 plus another 100 I put in. How do I know it is active and will work when I go through a toll booth?

It is active by default when shipped. If you login to your account on their site and select "Tag Recharge" option, it shows the status of your Tag. Mine says "Active"

[tharian]

Originally Posted by pathik

It is active by default when shipped. If you login to your account on their site and select "Tag Recharge" option, it shows the status of your Tag. Mine says "Active"

It does not mention 'active' anywhere on mine. It also does not show delivered date although it was delivered last Saturday. Probably that is why?

[pathik]

Originally Posted by tharian

It does not mention 'active' anywhere on mine. It also does not show delivered date although it was delivered last Saturday. Probably that is why?

It doesn't show as Delivered for me either. But the status says Active.