If you have travelled recently, you would have encountered the toll payment system. Unlike in past years, when you had to make toll payments in cash by stopping your vehicle for a considerably long time, the current process is automatic. The automatic toll fee debit is made possible through the FASTag system, which requires a unique sticker on the vehicle’s windscreen to be scanned at toll plazas. Once scanned, the required toll payment is automatically debited from the user’s FASTag account balance.

However, in some cases, a user’s FASTag may be blacklisted by the issuing institution, such as a bank or NBFC or a law enforcement agency. If this happens, you will be unable to use FASTag to make toll payments until you reactivate it. However, there are some ways to avoid the situation where your FASTag is blacklisted. This article will help you understand how you can avoid FASTag blacklisting.

Why does a FASTag gets blacklisted

Here are some reasons for a FASTag getting blacklisted:

• Insufficient balance: FASTag accounts require users to maintain a minimum balance in their FASTag accounts. In case you do not maintain the minimum required balance in your FASTag account, it may get blacklisted.

• Legal violations: If your vehicle has legally violated any toll-related law, a law enforcement agency can blacklist your FASTag. An example of such a legal violation is using a personal vehicle’s FASTag on a commercial vehicle.

• Incorrect information: FASTag issuing institutions require users to provide and update their personal and vehicle information in their FASTag accounts. If your KYC information is outdated or if your vehicle registration number is incorrect, the issuing institution may blacklist your FASTag.

• Suspicious activities: The issuing institution may blacklist your FASTag if there is any suspicious activity in your FASTag account. This is because the issuing institution may flag the activity as fraudulent and blacklist the FASTag to protect the user from any financial loss.

 How to avoid FASTag blacklisting

If your FASTag is blacklisted, this means that you can not use it to make any future toll payments. Hence, it is ideal to take steps to avoid FASTag blacklisting. Here are some steps to avoid your FASTag getting blacklisted in future:

 Sufficient balance

Determine the minimum required balance according to your FASTag’s issuing institution. Then, regularly check your FASTag balance and ensure you sufficiently recharge it using a trusted third-party online marketplace or platform. Your FASTag account must maintain the minimum balance at all times.

 Correct Information

Check the KYC information mentioned in your FASTag account and ensure that it is up to date. Also, ensure that you have provided all the relevant documents to the issuing institution. Furthermore, check if the vehicle registration number in your FASTag is correct. If not, immediately update your FASTag with the correct registration number.

Track FASTag transactions

Suspicious activities and transactions in your FASTag may become the reason for your FASTag blacklisting. Hence, it is important to track every activity and transaction happening in your FASTag account. In case of any discrepancy, contact the customer case for swift resolution. This will ensure that suspicious activity or transaction is identified without the need for FASTag blacklisting.

Penalties

If you have been served with any toll violation penalty, your FASTag may be blacklisted if you keep it pending. Hence, it is crucial that you do not keep a toll violation penalty pending and you deposit the penalty immediately.

Contact customer care

One of the best ways to avoid FASTag blacklisting is to keep in touch with customer care to know what reasons may be responsible for your FASTag blacklisting. You can also ask about various resolution processes that may be needed to reactivate the FASTag if it is blacklisted for some reason in the future.

Conclusion

The FASTag system allows individuals to make toll payments while their vehicle is in motion, saving time and providing convenience. However, if your FASTag is blacklisted for some reason, cash is the only option to make payments, which comes with a double amount penalty. Although you can always reactivate your blacklisted FASTag, the process is lengthy. Hence, it is better to avoid FASTag blacklisting by following the above-mentioned steps.