Attention, motorists! Cashless toll collection on expressways will be reimplemented.
The Toll Regulatory Board (TRB) recently announced that starting March 15, all vehicles passing through toll expressways are required to have a valid ETC device or Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) sticker installed on them.
Photo: Toll Regulatory Board/Facebook
They noted that vehicles without an ETC device or RFID sticker may still enter the expressway, but installation is mandatory at the designated area after the toll plaza or the nearest installation site.
According to the TRB, they observed that dedicated toll lanes for cash-paying motorists are often congested, which impedes the fast and efficient flow of traffic toward the ETC-designated lanes.
“It is expected that a better and more efficient flow of traffic will result once these lanes are strictly used for ETC only,” they stated, urging motorists to avail of ETC devices or RFID stickers in advance for hassle-free travel.
The TRB also emphasized that toll expressway concessionaires, operators, and RFID service providers will “establish and make available more RFID installation sites, and multifarious loading modes, and loading stations in and out of the toll expressways; reach out of their customers through caravans and corporate or group events; and establish installation sites prior to entry in most or at least in all major entries of toll expressways. They will also facilitate and simplify the ETC Device/RFID Sticker application and installation procedures.”
“The installation of the ETC Device/RFID Sticker is free, and there is no required maintaining balance. ETC/RFID subscribers may load the exact amount of toll fees needed to travel along the toll expressway. All of these are meant to make it easy and more convenient for the motorists,” they added.
Motorists who pass through expressways without an ETC device or RFID sticker, or those using a fake one, will face a penalty of P1,000 for the first offense, P2,000 for the second offense, and P5,000 for each subsequent offense.
The cashless toll collection policy was initially implemented in December 2020. However, it was suspended due to “several operational issues.”
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