Travel eases as unified toll sticker, wallet roll out next year

Motorists traversing the country's major expressways may start using a unified RFID sticker and wallet for more efficient toll payments within the second quarter of 2024 as both regulators and operators push to advance the long-delayed toll road interoperability project.

During the Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon briefing on Tuesday, Toll Regulatory Board spokesperson Julius Corpuz said the planned Phase 3, or the last stage of the toll road interoperability project is on track to roll out anytime from April to June next year.

Corpuz conveyed that his optimism stemmed from the constant and conclusive coordination among the government and toll operators San Miguel Corp. or SMC and Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. or MPTC.

"We are looking forward to the Phase 3 dry run this coming December and that phase of our interoperability project will be fully implemented by the second quarter of next year," Corpuz said.

"We continue to communicate and coordinate with the operators to identify areas that need improvement so that the planned rollout will be smooth. So far, it looks like we are on track," he added.

Once in place, for instance, motorists may easily pass through North Luzon Expressway, a toll road operated by MPTC, using their Autosweep RFID sticker, which is normally used across SMC-operated expressways.

In turn, those with EasyTrip RFID stickers will then be allowed to use them in MPTC-controlled expressways.

The Toll Interoperability Project was launched in 2017, requiring toll road companies to make system adjustments for integrated toll collection.

The first stage of the project involves implementing a completely cashless and contactless system for toll payments.

The second stage, on the other hand, includes the use of two RFID wallets to hold payment loads for specific toll plazas, but there will also be a single RFID sticker that can be read by sensors at various toll roads.

Finally, the third stage involves implementing an RFID sticker for all toll expressways and consolidating all toll payments into one wallet.

The TRB is currently in the second month of the two-month dry run it is enforcing for contactless transactions in select toll plazas, which seeks to determine the program's viability. It also aims to identify and resolve any roadblocks that will hinder the operators from fully implementing the project.

As perceived, Corpuz said many motorists still do not have their RFID installed during the initial run.

"One of the biggest challenges is encouraging and motivating our motorists to switch from cash to RFID. But we noticed that since we implemented this dry run, many people have started to install RFID and they are now enjoying faster transactions at our toll plazas," Corpuz said.

"After October, if our 2-month dry run ends, we will have an assessment on whether to extend it or not. It will also guide us in determining if we need to do something else to improve and repair our electronic toll-collecting systems," he added.