FASTag is an electronic toll collection system initiated by the National Highways Authority of India and used widely across the country. A toll is a nominal fee that people are mandated to pay when using a bridge, road, or waterway and the fee is then used for maintenance purposes. With the help of a FASTag, people don’t have to stop and wait at the toll plazas as the toll is automatically deducted through the Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology.

The State Bank of India (SBI) has introduced a new FASTag design to make the system of toll collection much more efficient and quicker than before. The new FASTag design addresses many common challenges faced by people and aims to resolve them.

Read More: Five-Year-Old FASTags To Be Replaced, Re-KYC Needed After 3 Years: What You Need To Know?

What Is The New FASTag Design?

The State Bank of India (SBI) has introduced several upgrades in the new FASTag design:

• Vehicle identification: The new FASTag design improves the accuracy of identifying vehicles at toll plazas. This was essential to stop large vehicles from using tags meant for smaller vehicles and paying incorrect toll charges.

• Incorrect charges: The new system ensures that every vehicle is charged the correct toll price as per the vehicle design.

• Quick processing: As the RFID is updated and improved, the new FASTag design ensures quicker scanning at toll booths to reduce wait times and congestion.

• Durable: The updated system is designed to withstand weather conditions so that the tag continues to work properly irrespective of the weather conditions.

Read More: New FASTag Rule Started From Aug 1, 2024! Learn The Details

Why Is The New FASTag Design Introduced?

The updated system has been introduced to tackle two main challenges:

• Inaccurate vehicle classification: It was continuously been recorded that larger vehicles were using tags meant for smaller vehicles to pay lesser toll charges. The new FASTag design accurately identifies the vehicle and reports if the tag is incorrect to reduce the instances of underpayment of tolls.

• Reducing wait times: The updated system is quicker and more efficient and reduces wait times considerably than before. The vehicle is identified quickly and accurately reducing the time spent at toll plazas. The new FASTag design is designed for Class 4 vehicles such as cars, jeeps, and vans among others.

Also Read The Future Of Toll Payments: Insights On The New FASTag Rules

Complementary Initiatives Of State Bank of India (SBI)

The new FASTag design introduced by SBI complements its two other products as well designed to improve the customer experience by supporting the digitalisation of transportation:

• MTS RuPay National Common Mobility Card (NCMC): This is a prepaid card through which users can make offline payments in various transportation networks like metro stations, buses, and toll plazas. This card is a way of ensuring seamless and easier commutes for the people of India.

• OneView Mobile Application: This application allows users to manage their prepaid cards by recharging, tracking usage, and handling multiple accounts from one single platform.

Read More: Bharat Series (BH) Number Plate - Features, Fees & Complete Application Process

Conclusion

The new FASTag design by the State Bank of India (SBI) is a significant contribution to transforming the transportation industry and improving customer experience. The updated system adopts digital methods for toll and transit systems for faster commutes.

If you’ve any queries, please contact the State Bank of India (SBI) through their official Contact Us page.

You can also reach out to Jaagruk Bharat through their community page with any questions that you might come across.