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Car owners schooled into using FASTag in new ad
FASTag was made mandatory by the government since December 15, 2019.
The latest campaign by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MORTH), Government of India, is both quirky and humorous. The two, minute-long films featuring actor Akshay Kumar as a cop, released as a part of the campaign – 'Say goodbye to jams with #FASTag' and 'Now everyone can travel like a VIP with #FASTag' – highlight how a FASTag sticker can help skip long queues at toll plazas on national as well as state highways.
Use of FASTag RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) sticker on vehicles was made mandatory by the government from December 15, 2019, for all toll plazas on national highways for electronic collection of taxes. FASTag is a sticker that has to be put at the front wind shield of your vehicle. This tech-enabled sticker becomes the radio frequency identity of your car which is automatically read by the sensors placed at the toll plazas. This sticker is linked either to a prepaid account like Paytm or through a bank account. The amount is deducted automatically whenever your vehicle crosses any toll plaza which is RFID-enabled .
Axis Bank and Paytm too recently released videos to promote the use of FASTag stickers.
The ad in question is however not the first time that Kumar has appeared in a public service advertisement (PSA) as a policeman. As the brand ambassador of the Government of India’s road safety campaign - 'Sadak Suraksha Jeevan Raksha' – he was seen in a traffic cop's uniform in the three fims released as part of the campaign. The films were conceptualised by Helios Media.