NCPI ruling won’t affect FASTag payments: NHAI
Amid confusion over the new NCPI ruling on FASTag rule declining payments, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has clarified that it won’t the consumers.
Earlier, the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) notified changes on FASTags not active for more than 60 minutes prior to read time and up to 10 minutes after read time.
This has created confusion on whether FASTag transactions while passing through toll barriers will be declined or have any impact on routine experience.
The NHAI clarified that NPCI’s rulings were issued for the Acquirer Bank and Issuer Bank on FASTag status while the vehicle crosses Toll Plazas.
It aims to ensure that the FASTag transactions are created within reasonable time to ensure that customers are not harassed by late transactions.
All NH Toll Plazas operate on ICD 2.5 protocol which gives real-time tag status, hence the FASTag customers can recharge any time before crossing the Toll Plaza.
Some Toll plazas on State Highways are still on ICD 2.4 protocol which needs regular updates of Tag status. It is being planned to shift all such Toll plazas to ICD 2.5 protocol, shortly.
“The FASTag customers are encouraged to link their wallet to UPI/Current/Saving Accounts under the auto-recharge setting to eliminate the need for manual recharges.
They can continue to recharge their FASTag any time before reaching the toll, using a variety of payment channels such as UPI, net banking, and more,” a NHAI official said.
