Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, on Thursday said that over 75 percent cars now have FasTags.

He also said that FasTag will be made mandatory from January 15 at toll plazas on the National highways.

Gadkari further said that the government is also looking at using GPS technology in FasTag, "With GPS technology in FastTag, the toll will be deducted for the distance travelled automatically," the minister said, adding that the toll-barriers can be removed with the implementation of this system.

As per the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989, since December 1, 2017, FasTag had been made mandatory for registration of new four-wheelers.

In November 2020, the ministry issued a notification also making FasTag mandatory from January 1, 2021 for old vehicles or that were sold before December 1, 2017.

A FasTag is a device that employs Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology for making toll payments directly from the prepaid or savings account linked to it and is affixed on the windscreen of the vehicles.

(Edited by : Aditi Gautam)

First Published:Jan 7, 2021 8:51 PM IST