Starting April 1, 2025, the Maharashtra government will require all vehicles in the state to have a FASTag sticker. This decision is part of the country's push towards a more efficient electronic toll collection system.

What is FASTag?

A FASTag is a small sticker that uses Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology to allow automatic toll payments. Managed by the National Payment Corporation of India (NPCI) and the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI), the FASTag is designed to eliminate the need for human intervention at toll booths.

After being attached to the vehicle, the FASTag is connected to a prepaid account for seamless toll payments. This allows toll fees to be deducted automatically from a user's bank account or digital wallet as the vehicle passes through toll gates.

Currently, 23 banks in India are part of the FASTag system.

How Does FASTag Work?

The FASTag is securely placed on the windshield of the vehicle and linked to a prepaid account to enable automatic toll collection. When the vehicle approaches a toll plaza, the RFID scanner reads the FASTag from a distance and deducts the toll fee automatically.

In an ideal situation, vehicles with FASTags should not need to stop at toll booths. However, due to traffic congestion and delays at certain locations, vehicles may still need to pause momentarily for the scanner to read the tag before proceeding through the toll.

The government has instructed the NHAI to convert all toll lanes across the national highway network into FASTag-enabled lanes, making toll payments smoother and quicker for drivers.

Once a FASTag account is activated, the toll charges will be deducted automatically from the linked account or digital wallet as the vehicle passes through a FASTag-enabled toll plaza.

This initiative aims to streamline toll collection, reduce congestion, and promote digital payments for smoother travel across the state and the country.

Currently, tolls are being collected at 13 road projects overseen by the Public Works Department and nine projects managed by the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation. This new decision will extend to these existing toll projects as well as all future toll ventures across the state, according to the official statement.