The Toll Regulatory Board said over the weekend toll operators are ready to implement the electronic toll collection system on Nov. 2 this year.
TRB executive director Abraham Sales said that while all expressways would implement cashless toll collections, motorists without RFID stickers would still be allowed entry to the toll plaza but would be led to an area where their vehicles would be provided with the RFID stickers.
Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. extended the installation of RFID stickers beyond Nov. 2 to accommodate all motorists.
MPTC said motorists who have no RFIDs by Nov. 2 would still be allowed passage in North Luzon Expressway, Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway, Manila-Cavite Expressway, C5 Link and Cavite-Laguna Expressway, but would be directed to the RFID installation lanes where they can have their RFID stickers installed.
The corresponding toll for their passage will be deducted to the initial load that they paid in getting the RFID stickers.
“We will convert some of the remaining cash lanes in all toll plazas of MPTC expressways to RFID installation lanes. At the same time, the off-site customer service stations will continue to operate and install RFID stickers,” MPTC chief of technology and MPT South president and general manager Roberto Bontia said.
Bontia said “the stickers will remain to be free except for the initial load.”
NLEX Corp. president J. Luigi Bautista said MPTC would open RFID installation lanes in all entry toll plazas to serve motorists who have not obtained their Easytrip RFID yet even after Nov. 2.
Aside from the drive-thru installation lanes, other RFID installation and reloading sites in various locations will remain open. At NLEX-SCTEX, there will also be drive-thru reloading lanes in Balintawak, Mindanao, Bocaue, Angeles and Tipo.
MPTC said this would serve as a transition period for the motorists who have paid cash for the longest time. “In anticipation, we will have our RFID Assist squads positioned at the toll plaza as it has always been our priority to help any motorist who would like to use our expressways at any time,” Bautista said.
The tollway company asked the public to avail of Easytrip RFID stickers at authorized customer service stations at NLEX-SCTEX, CAVITEX-C5 Link and CALAX social media pages.
MPTC is the holding company of NLEX, SCTEX, CAVITEX, C5 Link and CALAX.