The Toll Regulatory Board (TRB) said Tuesday motorists using expressways without electronic toll collection (ETC) devices or with insufficient balance will be prohibited from entering dedicated ETC lanes starting Aug. 31, 2024.
It issued Joint Memorandum Circular No. 2024-001 on Aug. 1, 2024 to enforce the prohibitions/restrictions against motorists entering dedicated ETC lanes with “no valid ETC device”, and with “no sufficient load”.
“These erring motorists represent 9 percent of all the motorists using the toll expressways who unfortunately are the ones causing the unnecessary delays and long queues at the toll plazas,” TRB said.
It said the vast majority of toll expressway users are often inconvenienced by the erring motorists.
“As a policy output/goal, with the said restrictions and/or prohibitions, and the corresponding fines and penalties for violation thereof, the implementation of the JMC intends to achieve a smoother and faster flow of traffic at the toll plazas, thereby saving time, money and resources,” the TRB said.
The TRB said the non-compliance would be subject to penalties. These include P1,000 for having no valid ETC device at first offense, P2,000 at second offense and P5,000 at subsequent offenses.
Those caught with insufficient load would be penalized P500 at first offense, P1,000 at second offense ant P2,500 at subsequent offenses.
Those with fraudulent ETC will be fined P1,000 at first offense, P2,000 at second offense and P5,000 at subsequent offenses.
Vehicles exempted by law from toll, along with those designated by the TRB, will be exempt from the penalties. They will still be required to have an ETC device as mandated by TRB Memorandum Order No. 01-2020 and existing regulations.
San Miguel Corp., which operates Skyway, South Luzon Expressway, STAR Tollway and NAIAx, uses AutoSweep RFID tag, while Metro Pacific Tollways Corp., which operates Manila Cavite Expressway, C5 Link Expressway and Cavite Laguna Expressway, uses EasyTrip RFID tag for electronic toll collection.
