The Ministry of Transport’s plan to introduce annual and lifetime FASTag tariffs, aimed at enhancing cost-effectiveness and streamlining transactions, has been widely discussed and is much awaited by the public. However, before these long-term plans take effect a new set of regulations governing FASTag usage has been implemented.

As of Monday, February 17, the latest FASTag rules have officially come into force. One of the key changes includes a stricter verification process for payments, requiring transactions to be authenticated within a specific time frame from the moment the FASTag is scanned at a toll plaza.

Several other modifications have been introduced as outlined in a circular issued by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) on January 28. These updated FASTag regulations are designed to enhance the efficiency of toll payments while also strengthening security measures for users:

• Transactions will be declined if a FASTag is blacklisted, placed on a hotlist or marked "low balance" for more than 60 minutes, before reaching the toll booth.

• If a FASTag remains blacklisted for 10 minutes after being scanned the payment will also be rejected.

• When both the aforementioned conditions are met, the system will decline the transaction with error code 176 and the vehicle will be charged double the toll fee as a penalty.

• Users may face additional charges if a toll transaction is processed more than 15 minutes after their vehicle has passed the toll reader.

• Grace Period for Recharging: Users have a 70-minute window before reaching the toll booth to rectify their FASTag status. If a FASTag is recharged within 10 minutes of an attempted transaction, users may qualify for a penalty refund and be charged only the standard toll fee.

• Chargebacks have been introduced for incorrect deductions caused by blacklisted or low-balance FASTags. Banks can raise chargeback requests for such deductions, but only after a mandatory 15-day cooling period.

• If a toll payment is delayed due to insufficient balance and remains unpaid, the toll operator will bear the financial loss, not the user.