Navi Mumbai: A day after the government announced a complete toll waiver for light motor vehicles at all five toll booths in Mumbai, commuters were initially confused about whether the money would still be deducted. Many received messages from their Fastag accounts, but instead of deduction alerts, they saw notifications of their remaining balance.
Mahesh Shinde, a daily commuter from Kharghar to Mumbai, said. “When I crossed the Vashi toll at 7am, the Fastag machine was off, so I just drove through. On my return around 5pm, the machine was working, and the barricades were open. The machine scanned my Fastag, and I got the usual SMS. I assumed the money was deducted, but when I checked later, the message was just about the remaining balance, not a deduction,” Shinde said.
The Vashi toll naka supervisor confirmed that all necessary precautions had been taken to ensure no money was deducted for light vehicles. He urged anyone who experiences a deduction to report it to customer care.
Jayant Mhaiskar, chairman and managing director of MEP Infrastructure Developers Ltd, explained that the acquirer bank had been instructed to stop charging light motor vehicles.
“After receiving the government’s notification on Monday evening, we informed the bank to exempt light vehicles. While Fastag will still be required for heavy vehicles, the balance for light vehicles will be displayed without deducting any money. If any deductions occur, we will investigate and resolve the issue,” Mhaiskar assured.
