New Delhi: Imagine your car parked safely at home, yet your phone buzzes with a toll deduction alert. No journey, no toll plaza in sight — still, money vanished from your FASTag wallet.
This frustrating reality plagued thousands of commuters, and now official data confirms it: the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) refunded toll charges in nearly 17.7 lakh cases during January-December 2025 due to wrongful deductions.
Union Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari revealed in a Lok Sabha written reply that the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) reported 17.6 lakh such erroneous transactions out of a staggering 464 crore FASTag payments — a mere 0.03% but enough to cause widespread inconvenience. Shockingly, in about 35% of these cases, the vehicles weren’t even at the toll plaza when the charge hit.
The culprit? Toll operators manually enter vehicle numbers when automatic scanners malfunction. Human error in typing registration plates often led to charging the wrong FASTag account.
Taking the issue seriously, the government is contemplating a complete ban on manual entries to eliminate such mishaps and restore trust in the system. FASTag’s success remains evident: toll plaza crossing time has plummeted from 12.2 minutes to just 40 seconds per vehicle. Toll collections soared too — ₹50,195 crore in the first three quarters of FY 2025-26, compared to ₹61,508 crore for the full previous year.
To stay vigilant, users should immediately enable SMS alerts for transactions and low balance via their bank’s FASTag app or portal (like ICICI, HDFC, or My FASTag). Ensure your registered mobile number is active; alternatively, give a missed call to +91-8884333331 for balance checks or contact customer care.
This revelation highlights the need for tighter safeguards in India’s digital toll ecosystem.