The End of Hassles: Changing FASTag Banks Made Easy
Vehicle owners across India can now breathe a sigh of relief as the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has introduced a revolutionary FASTag portability service named 'OneTag'. Previously, changing the bank associated with a FASTag required purchasing a new tag and removing the old one from the vehicle's windshield, a process that was often cumbersome and time-consuming.
Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, recently unveiled this new facility during the Global Fintech Fest in Mumbai. With OneTag, users can seamlessly switch their issuer bank while retaining the same physical tag on their vehicle, functioning just like mobile number portability.
How OneTag Works and the Portability Process
To port a FASTag to a new bank, vehicle owners need to log in to the 'RajmargYatra' app, enter their vehicle registration number, and check eligibility. Upon verification via an OTP sent by the existing issuer, users can select their new preferred bank. Once the KYC and wallet onboarding processes are complete, the toll payments will route through the new account without changing the underlying FASTag ID.
"The OneTag initiative marks a major milestone in modernizing our highway toll ecosystem, offering ultimate convenience to citizens by eliminating redundant tag replacements." — Ministry of Road Transport and Highways
Cooling Period and Participating Banks
According to NHAI guidelines, once a porting request is successfully processed, the old wallet balance is refunded, and a 6-month cooling period applies before another port can be initiated. Currently, major financial institutions including SBI, HDFC, ICICI, Axis Bank, and Airtel Payments Bank are supporting this new digital interoperability framework.
