India’s Government Directs National Toll Highways to Go Cashless by December 1

The Press Trust of India reports, India’s government made it official on Friday: “To ensure seamless traffic and prevent congestion” all national highway toll plaza lanes must be converted to FASTag electronic toll lanes by December 1, and after that date, “non-FASTag users will be charged double the fee if they pass through FASTag-only lanes.” (The government will temporarily allow one “hybrid” payments lane at each plaza “to facilitate and monitor over-dimensional or oversized vehicles.”) The article adds, “To ensure smooth implementation of this decision, the ministry has asked the [national highways authority] to assess the overall requirement of FASTags across the country and make [them] available in requisite numbers.”

The Economic Times (India) reports that the the Indian Highways Management Company has already invited bids for establishing “Point of Sales locations for sale and registration of FASTags at Toll Plazas.”