The Toll Regulatory Board (TRB) on Monday urged motorists using the expressways to install Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags on their vehicles ahead of the implementation of Joint Memorandum Circular (JMC) No. 2024-001, or the Revised Guidelines for All Vehicles Traveling on Toll Expressways.

The new policy aims to enforce cashless toll collection and ensure a sufficient load when entering TRB-controlled tollways. The Department of Transportation (DoTr) earlier deferred the implementation of the program to January 2025.

In a Palace briefing, TRB Executive Director Alvin Carullo disclosed that 4.8 percent of motorists still haven’t installed RFID devices, translating to around 100,000 vehicles.

“About 100,000 vehicles still don’t have RFIDs. So we are asking tollway users who have not installed the RFID to do so as soon as possible,” he said.

Some 95.2 percent of cars using the expressways have RFID devices installed.

Carullo also asked motorists to update their information with the toll operators to access their statements of account (SoA) efficiently.

Currently, motorists need two types of RFID devices: Autosweep for those plying the South Luzon expressways and Easytrip for those headed to North Luzon. These are operated by different companies.

The TRB said it aims to implement a single RFID system for both tollways. According to Carullo, the TRB is in Phase 3 of testing interoperability and plans to implement this by 2025.

“We are in Phase 3 of our interoperability project. Hopefully, there will be only one wallet, and we will call it RFID. We plan to implement it early next year,” he said.

Real-time indicators

Frequent expressway users have complained of issues when passing through toll booths, saying their load balances do not always reflect in real time. This could cause problems once the revised guidelines are implemented, they warned.

Carullo said toll operators are required to display balances and deduct tolls in real time. “We had a dialogue with toll operators, and they need to intensify their propagation at the lane level to make it real time. So from now until we implement the system by January or later, this issue must be resolved,” he said.

Toll operators that fail to comply may face penalties starting at P100,000. Carullo added that if the systems are not fully functional by January 2025, a further deferment of the JMC implementation may be considered.

Some vehicle owners from remote provinces argue that they rarely use the expressways, maybe twice or thrice a year, which could be a problem in January.

The TRB said these travelers can use a dedicated “exceptional transaction” lane, similar to cash lanes.

These dedicated lanes are located on the rightmost side of the expressway. Motorists who wish to continue paying in cash can also use this lane.

Since the widespread implementation of the RFID system, motorists lining up at cash lanes have caused traffic at toll booths. However, they will still be required to install an RFID device on their vehicles.

Carullo added that vehicle owners can load exact amounts onto their RFID wallets to prevent “cash float,” or money sitting unused in their RFID accounts.

Penalties

Under the JMC, motorists using expressways without valid RFID tags or electronic toll collection (ETC) devices will be penalized for “No Valid ETC Device” with the following fines: First offense, P1,000; second offense, P2,000; subsequent offenses, P5,000 per offense

Vehicles with insufficient balances will be penalized for “Insufficient Load” with the following fines: First offense, P500; second offense, P1,000, subsequent offenses, P2,500 per offense

Meanwhile, vehicles with fraudulent, tampered, or fake RFID devices and e-cards will be penalized for “Fraudulent or Falsified ETC” with the following fines: First offense, P1,000; second offense, P2,000; and subsequent offenses, P5,000 per offense.

Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista assured the public the department would ensure that the toll operators comply before implementing the new toll policies.

The Department of Transportation said it will also continue its campaign for motorists to install RFID or ETC devices for their expressway journeys.