As FASTag turns slow, officials told to allow cash at busy plazas

As the delay in switching to FASTag is causing unprecedented traffic snarls at toll plazas, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (Morth) has yet again given relief to commuters by directing officials to accept cash payments at 25% of the toll lanes on high-density corridors.

Following directions from the ministry, the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) had set January 15 as the deadline for commuters to adopt FASTag and switch to electronic payments. Due to increase in the number of vehicles over the years, cash transactions at toll plazas are seen as a major cause for delay.

“We had stopped cash transactions at all but one lane at plazas across the state. We have also stopped providing two-way, daily and monthly passes to those making cash payments. However, the sheer number of vehicles without FASTag has led to kilometre-long traffic snarls at toll plazas,” an official at Nelamangala toll plaza said.

Ever since the restrictions on cash transactions, the peak-hour traffic has worsened at the toll plaza near BIEC. On Sunday, the bumper-to-bumper queue for toll ticket stretched beyond Nagasandra metro station about 800 metres away.

The Morth has now written to the NHAI chairman stating that 25% of the toll booths (roughly two lanes in both directions) should be run as ‘hybrid’ lanes which accept cash payments for one more month.

“Depending on the traffic pile-up at these 65 plazas, not more than 25% ‘FASTag lane of fee plaza’ be converted into hybrid lanes,” the NHAI said, noting that the 30-day relaxation was needed to “ride over the issue” of high cash transactions.

The 65 toll plazas in the country include Sadahalli, Electronics City (Bengaluru up ramp), Nelamangala, Attibele and Hoskote tolls near state capital as well as Karabylu toll in Hassan district.

A toll authority said the measure will bring relief to thousands of people.

“Many are not happy with the FASTag arrangement. People, especially those from suburban areas who travel occasionally, say they do not want the hassle of maintaining a bank account for the sake of crossing a toll once or twice a year,” he said.

NHAI officials, however, said the measure was temporary and the number of lanes with cash payments will be reduced after 30 days.