TRB: Starting Nov. 2, no RFID, no entry to any expressway

MANILA: By November 2, 2020, no radio frequency identification (RFID), no entry to  expressways. That’s the policy set by the Toll Regulatory Board (TRB) in compliance with the DOTr’s (Department of Transportation) Department Order 2020-012 issued on Aug.13 that declared the mandatory use of cashless transactions at tollways starting Nov. 2, with the goal of limiting interpersonal interactions to combat the spread of COVID-19.

“Yung intensyon ng(That’s intention of the) department order, 100% cashless, they will not be allowed to enter the expressway,” said TRB executive director Abraham Sales.

Vehicles that manage to get in without an RFID system will face penalties.

Currently, 75% of the toll gates operated by the Metro Pacific Tollways Corporation (MPTC) are already RFID-compliant, with plans to reach 100% compliance by Nov. 2. The MPTC’s EasyTrip system has now more than 800,000 subscribers and almost 40 percent of all vehicles passing through MPTC tollways use RFID transactions, compared to only 32% back in May.

The TRB is also moving forward with the interoperability of the expressway systems handled by the MPTC and SMC (San Miguel Corporation).

According to Sales, both the SMC and MPTC systems are already in the first phase of interoperability.

“The Autosweep RFID po na kinabit ng (established by) SMC can be enrolled with the MPTC's EasyTrip system — they open an account para magamit po nila 'yan. Iyan po yung (so they can use that. That is) phase one,” Sales added.

The second phase integrates MPTC’s EasyTrip RFIDs for use in SMC tollways, which will begin once SMC starts adapting its Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway (TPLEX) to accept EasyTrip RFIDs.

By 2021, hopefully, we can attain the implementation of phases one and two,” Sales said.

Both toll operators have signed a memorandum of agreement regarding interoperability between the two RFID systems in the past, but technical issues prevented its early implementation.

MPTC and SMC are currently discussing how to proceed with testing and interoperability due to the difference between the two RFID systems.

SMC operates the SLEX (South Luzon Expressway), the Skyway, the STAR (Southern Tagalog Arterial Road), NAIA-X (Ninoy Aquino International Airport Expressway), and the TPLEX (Tarlac, Pangasinan, La Union Expressway).

MPTC is the operator of the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) and the Subic Clark Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX); in South of Manila, it operates the Cavite Expressway (CAVITEX) and the Cavite Laguna Expressway (CALAX).

Photo from NLEX

Also read: SLEX, Skyway, NAIAX, STAR, and TPLEX initiate shift to cashless payment