The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) said that road users will not face inconvenience after the introduction of new standards for FASTag transactions at toll plazas. This statement comes after the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) issued new guidelines to address delays in FASTag transactions due to uninitiated tags at toll plazas. The rule comes into effect on February 17.

According to the NHAI circular, FASTag transactions will now be settled promptly when a vehicle passes through a toll plaza, preventing delays and ensuring no inconvenience to customers.

“The circular has been issued by NPCI to facilitate resolution of disputes between acquirer bank and issuer bank on FASTag status while vehicle crosses toll plazas,” it said.

The NHAI further explained that all national highway toll plazas operate using the ICD 2.5 protocol, which enables real-time tag status updates. This means FASTag customers can recharge their tags anytime before reaching the toll booth.

Some toll plazas on state highways still use the ICD 2.4 protocol, which requires manual updates of tag status. However, it is planned that all such toll plazas will transition to the ICD 2.5 protocol soon, the NHAI noted. (ICD refers to the Interface Control Document.)

Additionally, the NHAI encouraged FASTag users to link their wallets to UPI, current, or savings accounts with auto-recharge settings, eliminating the need for manual recharges.

At the last toll plaza before a particular one, customers will be able to reload their FASTag using UPI and other online banking services.