No fee if collection system malfunctions at toll plaza

Come November 15, a commuter will be able to cross a toll plaza without the payment of any user fee if the electronic toll collection system malfunctions. The vehicle, with sufficient FASTag balance, will be issued a zero-transaction receipt at such a toll plaza.

The latest notification of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways also states that commuters entering a toll plaza with non-functional FASTag will have to pay double the user fee applicable on the vehicle class in question if they pay in cash and 1.25 times higher fee if they choose digital pay from Novermber 15.

To illustrate, a vehicle whose standard fee is Rs 100 will now incur a Rs 200 cash penalty at toll plazas if FASTag is absent or non-functional. Paying via UPI instead will cost Rs 125, the notification clarifies.

The notification also standardises receipt issuance, specifying that toll operators must provide a receipt “specifying therein the date and time of receipt of fee, the total amount received and the class of vehicle for which the fee has been received.”

The Ministry said that the changes aim to further promote digital transactions, discourage cash payments, and ensure smoother traffic flow at toll plazas across the country.