New FASTag rules, imposing extra penalties on users with low balance, delayed payments or blacklisted tags, will come into force from Monday.

The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) and the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways have issued some key changes to the FASTag ecosystem, aiming to streamline toll payments, reduce disputes and curb frauds.

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Starting February 17, new FASTag rules will affect users who delay payments or have blacklisted tags.

If a FASTag has been inactive for more than 60 minutes before the vehicle crosses the toll and remains inactive up to 10 minutes after passing, the transaction will be declined.

The system will reject such payments with “error code 176”. This rule is set to be implemented from February 17.

Apart from this, there are also changes in terms of the Chargeback process and cooling period as well as transaction rejection rules to streamline toll payments and reduce disputes.

According to new guidelines, FASTag users may incur additional charges if their toll transactions are processed beyond 15 minutes from the time the vehicle passes the toll reader.

According to updated National Electronic Toll Collection (NETC) guidelines, if a transaction is delayed and the user’s FASTag account has insufficient balance, the toll operator will be held responsible.

However, if the amount is deducted, users can dispute the charge, but only after a mandatory 15-day cooling period.

Users can ensure sufficient balance in the FASTag wallet before travelling, monitor transaction times to check for delays in deduction, and stay informed about FASTag status to prevent rejections due to inactivity.

As per the NPCI circular published on January 28, the FASTag balance validation will follow a stricter schedule.

Previously, users could recharge their FASTag at the toll booth and still pass through. Because of this, users must verify their FASTag status well in advance.

According to latest NPCI data, FASTag transactions grew by 6 per cent in December last year to 382 million, against 359 million in November.

The value also increased by 9 per cent to Rs 6,642 crore in December against Rs 6,070 crore in November.