“No need for multiple RFID accounts. The project is a collaborative effort of the Department of Transportation, the Toll Regulatory Board and RFID service providers Autosweep and Easytrip”
AFTER a series of disheartening news about bribery, corruption, calamities and high prices of basic commodities, news that the Department of Transportation, under Secretay Giovanni Lopez, has rolled out a unified toll collection system across Luzon greeted motorists.
It was a much-awaited development for motorists preparing to travel across Luzon this holiday and for companies who want to improve their logistics and supply network.
With no less than President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. as guest of honor, the Toll Collection System Interoperability Project was launched at the South Luzon Expressway Toll Operation Building. This translates to faster travels for all motorists who will be using the expressways or those identified as Limited Access Facilities.
In 2007 when the Department of Transportation and Communication declared Limited Access Facilities to refer to the South Luzon Expressway, Manila-Cavite Toll Expressway, North Luzon Expressway, South Metro Manila Skyway, Southern Tagalog Arterial Road Tollway, Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway; and other road networks including extensions of those already existing that may be constructed and operated as expressway toll facilities.
Of course, today, we have more expressway toll facilities like the Tarlac–Pangasinan–La Union Expressway, NLEX Connector, NAIA Expressway, Muntinlupa-Cavite Expressway, and Cavite-Laguna Expressway.
The launch of “One RFID, All Tollways” enables motorists to travel expressways operated by San Miguel Corporation and Metro Pacific Tollways seamlessly.
No need for multiple RFID accounts. The project is a collaborative effort of the Department of Transportation, the Toll Regulatory Board and RFID service providers Autosweep and Easytrip.
The use of Radio Frequency Identification technology is not limited to the tollways. RFIDs are used in industries such as logistics, manufacturing and retail, helping lower manpower costs, and improving customer experience.
I recall in 2014 the Manila-Cavite Expressway became the first toll road in the Philippines to use RFID electronic toll collection technology with the launch of EasyDrive.
On Aug. 13, 2020 then Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade issued Department Order 2020-002 requiring cashless or contactless transaction for all vehicles travelling on toll expressways. According to the Department Order, in line with the E-Commerce Act of 2000 and considering the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department of Transportation recognizes the need to fast track its digitization program to achieve contactless transactions during the land travel especially in limited access facilities.
Pursuant to the Department Order, it was declared “all vehicles shall enter and use tollway facilities through cashless or contactless transaction, initially as a measure to mitigate the transmission of COVID-19 and subsequently as a means to ensure a move efficient flow of traffic within expressway.”
It was reported in 2020 that amid issues confronting the use of RFID Tugade had said toll operators were expected to begin rolling out radio frequency identification (RFID) stickers that could be used on all tollways.
The use of one RFID in all tollways is now a reality. The Toll Regulatory Board said it was the result of eight years of testing and coordination.
Toll Regulatory Board Executive Director Atty. Jose Arturo Tugade was quoted in another paper: “Our objective here is to make the journey of our motorists faster, more comfortable, and more convenient.”
According to President Marcos, the interoperability of the Electronic Toll Collection and cash payment systems for toll expressways was possible because of the continued trust, commitment, and flexibility of government partner concessionaires, operators, and ETC/RFID providers as he thanked San Miguel Corporation and Metro Pacific Investments Corporation represented by Ramon S. Ang and Manuel V. Pangilinan, respectively.
“The road to One RFID was not easy, as it required extensive work on the part of all stakeholders. Both ETC providers made significant upgrades to their existing infrastructure to integrate their systems, while conducting rigorous testing to ensure smooth and seamless interoperability,” SMC and MPIC said.
The completion of interoperability between the electronic toll collection (ETC) systems will directly benefit motorists who will register for a new ETC account, as they will only need one radio frequency identification and account to travel seamlessly across the Luzon expressway network.
Let us laud the efforts of those involved in making the vision of toll interoperability a reality. This demonstrates what we can achieve if we share the same goals and harness the technology that is available.
(The writer, president/chief executive officer of Media Touchstone Ventures, Inc. and president/executive director of the Million Trees Foundation Inc., a non-government outfit advocating tree-planting and environmental protection, is the official biographer of President Fidel V. Ramos.)
