Minor FASTag errors affect thousands daily, Govt pushes for barrier-free tolling

Official data submitted to Parliament shows that nearly 4,840 FASTag users faced incorrect toll deductions each day in 2025, largely due to technical and system-related issues, prompting refunds and renewed focus on improving India’s electronic tolling infrastructure.

An average of nearly 4,840 FASTag users experienced incorrect toll deductions each day on India’s national highways in 2025, according to an analysis of official data shared by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) in the Lok Sabha.

The ministry said that between January and December 2025, the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), which manages the clearing and settlement of FASTag transactions under the National Electronic Toll Collection (NETC) system, processed refunds for about 17.66 lakh transactions due to erroneous toll charges. These disputed cases emerged from an estimated daily volume of 1.27 crore FASTag transactions nationwide.

Technical glitches behind majority of refunds

Data provided to Parliament shows that most incorrect deductions stemmed from system-related issues rather than deliberate overcharging. Of the daily disputed transactions, around 1,740 were linked to charges not recognised by FASTag users, 1,480 involved incorrect toll calculations, and nearly 870 were due to duplicate transactions at toll plazas.

Nearly two-thirds of all refunds were attributed to problems related to tag recognition and fare computation. The largest single category involved transactions classified as “not recognised by the tag holder,” accounting for over 6.35 lakh refund cases. These were often linked to backend reconciliation delays, late transaction postings, or mismatches in system records.

Smaller portions of refunds were related to tolls paid through alternate modes or return journey concessions that were not automatically applied, despite being part of the tolling rules.

NHAI stresses scale and system improvements

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) clarified that while nearly 18 lakh refunds were issued during the year, these cases represented only about 0.03% of the total 464 crore FASTag transactions recorded in 2025. The authority said all affected users were promptly refunded and corrective measures have already been introduced to strengthen system accuracy.

Officials acknowledged that even a small percentage translates into a significant number of users at scale, amounting to roughly 200 disputed transactions every hour. To address this, MoRTH reiterated that users can lodge complaints through multiple channels, including the 1033 National Highways Helpline, issuer bank helplines, dedicated email support, and the RajmargYatra mobile application.

Looking ahead, the ministry said it is moving towards barrier-free electronic tolling using Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) technology alongside FASTag. Twenty-one toll plazas, including five in the Delhi-NCR region, have been selected for pilot implementation, with further expansion planned based on performance outcomes.