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TOLLING

be easily split in two categories – pre and post demonetisation. has given the further boost to the program as FASTag
At the time of Demonetisation (08.11.2016), the ETC numbers are increasing @ 2.5 lakhs per month now. It is
transactions contributed merely 1.7 % to the toll revenue evident from the following chart:
with hardly 0.83 % usage numbers. Post demonetisation,
the success story of FASTag starts in real sense. After Dec 2016 Jun 2018 % Increase
resumption of the user fee, the ETC transaction in terms FASTag affixed
of value increased significantly and within 18 months, the on vehicles 1.09 Lakhs 24.92 Lakhs 2400%
FASTag adaptability reached to more than 25 lakhs users No. of 31.92 Lakh 197 Lakh
from merely 1 lakhs in November 2016. transactions per month per month 600%
The program has received a further push from the 88.12 ~ 500
Government via a mandate that ensures that all vehicles sold Amount of Crores per Crores per 568%
in India are fitted with an operational FASTag. The initiative transactions month month

Current Issues

However, while the journey has been impressive, there have
been challenges in the program that were amplified as a result of
unprecedented growth. Some of the critical challenges are related Signal
to infrastructure – the current program continues to be reliant on Violation
hand-held readers, a solution that often proves to a bottleneck
owing to the high transaction time. Some of the other issues Dynamic
that impact the end-user experience include – lack of awareness Tolling Parking
regarding features, development of robust backend processes, and
ensuring inclusion of all stakeholders in the program.
FASTag
However, a greater challenge lies in ensuring that the
infrastructure developed for the program is in line with the
aspirations and expectations of the next generation of vehicle users. Driver EV
For example, the FASTag can easily be used at parking stations Testing Charging
and petrol stations to ensure that users have a unified payment
interface. The FASTag can also be used to track fleet. The FASTag
can even be tied with next-gen requirements and be developed as E Way Bill
a robust strategy for e-vehicle charging stations and tracking the
infrastructure usage directly with the vehicle in proximity.

52 June-July ’18 / TrafficInfraTech www.trafficinfratech-com-500653.hostingersite.com