New Delhi — In a bid to turn the humble FASTag into the Swiss Army knife of India’s digital transport future, the Indian Highways Management Company Limited (IHMCL) hosted a high-octane workshop with FinTech firms in New Delhi this week. The agenda? Less beep at tolls, more brains on tech. From EV charging to parking, and even insurance – FASTag may soon be your passport to all things on wheels.
Presided over by Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari – India’s highway crusader-in-chief – the workshop brought together a formidable lineup of government officials and fintech wizards to brainstorm the many avatars FASTag could take in its next evolutionary leap.
“FASTag is no longer just a toll tag – it’s a tech tag,” quipped Gadkari, hinting at a vision where your highway pass doubles up as a digital wallet, a parking assistant, and perhaps one day, even a samosa voucher at Dhabas. “We want to transform FASTag into a frictionless digital experience – not just for tolling, but for travel at large.”
V. Umashankar, Secretary, MoRTH, kept the momentum flowing, stating, “FinTechs bring innovation, we bring infrastructure. Together, we’re aiming for toll booths so smooth you’ll miss them – literally.”
Chairman of NHAI, Santosh Kumar Yadav, spoke of expanding FASTag’s footprint beyond just toll plazas. “It’s time to reimagine FASTag – think parking lots, EV chargers, even insurance kiosks. If it moves or needs money, FASTag should be there.”
Workshops and breakout sessions featured high-decibel buzz around Multi-Lane Free Flow (MLFF) tolling – a no-barrier, no-boom-bar-tech that replaces tollbooth traffic jams with seamless, camera-led detection and real-time billing via RFID and ANPR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition). In short: Fast and Furious, but with receipts.
Representatives from FinTech powerhouses pitched ideas from using FASTag for fuel payments to enabling FASTag-powered subscription mobility. One group even hinted at turning it into a loyalty rewards program – finally giving long-distance truckers their much-deserved ‘Highway Miles’.
FASTag’s credentials are already impressive: 98.5% toll payments across 1,728 toll plazas, 11.04 crore tags issued by 38 banks – and not a single “Exact Change Only” board in sight.
Summing up the vibe of the day, Vishal Chauhan of NHAI said, “Fintech is fast, FASTag is faster – together, we’re building a transport ecosystem that’s not just smart, but also slick.”
So, next time you whizz past a toll plaza, remember – that tiny FASTag on your windshield may soon become your all-in-one travel companion. Watch this lane.
