FASTag on Yamuna Expressway begins functioning

The FASTag system has been implemented on the 165-km long Yamuna Expressway from Tuesday

The FASTag system has been implemented on the 165-km long Yamuna Expressway from Tuesday. This has automated the toll collection resulting in shorter wait time at the gates.

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“Commuters can pay toll via FASTag in two of the three lanes on each side. One lane will be for those who do not have the system installed in their vehicles,” said Arun Vir Singh, chief executive officer (CEO) of the Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (Yeida). Singh inaugurated the service at 4:30pm at the Jewar toll plaza. “The manual lane will be done away with once as per government rules and regulations.”

The toll rates for two-and three-wheelers are ₹175. For cars and jeeps, it is ₹360 and for light commercial vehicles it is ₹565.

FASTag was supposed to start from April 1, but the private operator Jaypee Infratech Limited (JIL) could not meet the deadline due to software issues. The system had already been implemented on all highways maintained by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).

“Now the system has been integrated with NHAI server. We had installed all cameras, censors and other required equipment last week,” said a JIL spokesperson requesting anonymity.

The NHAI has recently issued guidelines for toll plazas with FASTag facility which will not allow queues longer than 100 metres from the toll gates. The new guidelines aim to reduce time taken to process toll fees to just 10 seconds per vehicle, even during peak hours. The rules also say that in case a queue gets longer than 100 metres, the vehicles at the front of the queue will be allowed to pass the toll gate without having to pay toll charges.