The Department of Transportation said the implementation of the contactless toll payment scheme will push through next month.
It said the primary purpose of Department Order No. 2020-012 requiring cashless or contactless transactions for all vehicles traveling on expressways was to prevent COVID-19 transmission.
“Interoperability will merely provide added convenience to motorists who no longer need to install two RFID tags. Thus, implementation of the cashless program should not wait for interoperability of the toll systems,” it said.
“Any delay in its implementation amid the COVID-19 pandemic will only make motorists, as well as the personnel manning the toll plazas, vulnerable to unwanted and unnecessary physical contact, and hence, exposure to the deadly coronavirus,” the DOTr said.
It said that with the issue of interoperability aside, the extension of the deadline to Dec. 1 would provide motorists using the expressways ample time to have their vehicles equipped with the needed RFID stickers from the toll operators.
