The Bhutanese Leading the way.
There have been issues of Bhutanese commuters being charged extra toll fee payment while traveling via Indian routes. The situation seems to be difficult for the first-time commuters, wherein they are charged extra and issued with a barcode they cannot reuse, and they are stopped at all toll fee plazas to pay up.
An official said the government has not received any official complaints on such harassment and the extra toll fee payment from the commuters while using Indian routes. However, when a formal complaint comes in then the government will look into the matter by consulting all the relevant agencies.
Meantime, the government issued a travel advisory on how to pay the toll fee to ease the journey in the Indian routes. According to officials, the drivers that frequently travel on the Indian routes are familiar with the process. However, travelers who are new to the toll paying process seem to be having troubles.
There have been cases of commuters, especially those driving private cars, facing hassles traveling via the Indian route. Some of the commuters have come on the social media to inform that they are being harassed and charged extra, making their travel more difficult and threatening. The barcode issued cannot be scanned.
Chairperson of the Taxi Association of Bhutan, Rinzin Chophel, shared that though they have not officially received any complaints from taxi drivers, however, they have heard of private drivers being charged extra on the way and facing issues.
“If we do not carry the Indian Currency (IC), they seem to be charging extra. If the charge is IC100, they charge Nu 200 instead if we pay them in Ngultrums. Otherwise, if we have IC they charge as per the toll fee amount,” he added.
Public transport drivers are used to those system, which is why they have not come across such issues, while for those commuters who are not used to such systems are being scammed and being charged more than what they are actually supposed to pay, he further added.
Meanwhile, there is an Indian system called National Electronic Toll Collection (NETC) FASTag which can ease their journey and ensure safety as well. It is used to make a toll payment directly from the customers linked prepaid accounts.
FASTag is a device that employs Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology for making toll payments directly while the vehicle is in motion. FASTag (RFID Tag) is affixed on the windscreen of the vehicle, and enables the commuters to drive through toll plazas without having to stop for toll fee payment until their destination. Moreover, the FASTag is also a vehicle specific, and once it is affixed to a vehicle, it cannot be transferred to another vehicle.
Bhutanese can avail themselves of the services from a recognized and genuine counter in Jaigaon and avoid hassles and scams on the road.
