Commuting from one place to another in India has become convenient. With several new national highways increasing connectivity and reducing travel time, FASTags are also contributing heavily to providing travel convenience.
FASTags allow individuals to make toll payments automatically by letting the scanners at toll plazas scan the tag and debit the amount from the FASTag balance.
As convenient as FASTags are, it may become a problem if your FASTag is blacklisted. If this happens, you will be forced to make toll payments in cash, which includes 100% of the toll fee as a penalty.
Apart from this, a blacklisted FASTag can have other negative impacts on your travel. This blog will help you understand the impact of FASTag blacklisting on your travel.
What is a blacklisted FASTag
A blacklisted FASTag is when the issuing institution, such as a bank or NBFC, or a law enforcement agency suspends or blocks your FASTag. Once a FASTag is blacklisted, you can not use it for making toll payments until it is reactivated. A blacklisted FASTag can result in financial loss as you will have to make toll payments in cash by paying double the toll amount.
There can be many reasons for a FASTag to get blacklisted:
- Insufficient balance: If your FASTag does not maintain sufficient balance for a specific time.
- Legal violations: If your vehicle has legally violated any toll-related law.
- Outdated KYC: If your KYC in your FASTag account is outdated.
- Incorrect information: If your vehicle registration number is incorrectly shown in your FASTag.
- Pending penalties: If you have not paid any toll-related penalties within the given time frame.
- Suspicious activities: If your FASTag account showcases suspicious activities or transactions.
What is the impact of FASTag blacklisting on your travel
If your FASTag is blacklisted for any reason, it can have a negative impact on your travel until it is reactivated. Here are some impacting factors of a blacklisted FASTag:
Disruption in toll payments
If your FASTag is blacklisted, it becomes inactive, and you can not use its current balance to make toll payments. The QR code on your FASTag fails to scan at the toll plazas. This can result in disruptions when making toll payments.
Penalties
The NHAI has made FASTag compulsory for making toll payments. If your FASTag is blacklisted, it ceases to work. Since one vehicle can only have one FASTag, there is no other option but to make toll payments in cash. However, making toll payments in cash comes with a 100% penalty, leading to unnecessary expenses.
Travel delay
FASTag was introduced to cut waiting time at toll plazas as the toll payment is auto-debited while the vehicle is in motion. However, if your FASTag is blacklisted, you will have to wait at the toll plazas to make cash payments. This can result in delays and increase your travel time considerably.
Travel Risk
A FASTag issuing institution or a law enforcement agency can blacklist a FASTag at any time if it fulfils a specified reason. For long-distance travellers, a FASTag becoming blacklisted mid-journey can become problematic and risky if they do not have sufficient cash to make all the toll payments. In such a case, they can get stuck at a toll plaza, highly disrupting their travel.
How to avoid FASTag blacklisting
Here are some factors to consider to avoid FASTag blacklisting in the future:
- Sufficient balance: Maintain sufficient balance by recharging your FASTag using a trusted third-party online marketplace or platform.
- Correct information: Check your FASTag account and ensure you have up-to-date KYC information and the correct vehicle registration number.
- Contact customer care: Contact the customer case to resolve any suspicious activity or transaction immediately.
- Pay penalties: if you have any pending toll-related penalties, pay them immediately to avoid FASTag blacklisting.
Conclusion
FASTags are designed to provide toll payment convenience and significantly reduce travel time. However, if your FASTag is blacklisted for any specific reason, it can create numerous travel disruptions and can increase your travel time extensively.
Hence, it is important to understand the implications of a blacklisted FASTag and ensure that you take precautions to avoid your FASTag getting blacklisted in the future.
