Starting 15 March, motorists entering the toll expressways will be required to have Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) stickers on their vehicles to eliminate the need to interact with toll booth tellers to make cash payments.

The Toll Regulatory Board (TRB) has reinstated the cashless and contactless toll system.

In an announcement on Saturday, the TRB said toll expressway users would be required to have a valid Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) device or an RFID sticker installed on their vehicles, months after the dry run of the contactless transaction program.

The TRB maintained that the implementation of cashless/contactless toll payments will optimize the use of all toll plazas with the ETC system.

However, motor vehicles without stickers would be allowed to enter the toll plazas and will have ETC devices or RFID stickers installed.

Though allowed to pass through toll plazas, motor vehicles without valid RFIDs will be issued either a Temporary Operator’s Permit or a Show Cause Order for violating the “No Valid ETC Device, No Entry” policy.

“The Land Transportation Office (LTO), through its deputized personnel, will issue against them either a Temporary Operator’s Permit or Show Cause Order for violating the No Valid ETC Device, No Entry Policy under the DOTr/LTO/TRB’s Joint Memorandum Circular No. 2024-001, and will be meted the corresponding penalties,” the TRB said.

The TRB further noted: “Dedicated toll lanes used by cash-paying motorists are usually congested with long lines of motor vehicles, and the same often hamper the fast and efficient flow of traffic leading to the ETC designated lanes.”

“It is expected that a better and more efficient traffic flow will result once these lanes are strictly used for ETC only,” it said.

The TRB encouraged motorists to have RFIDs installed on their vehicles as installation and loading stations are available inside and outside the expressways.

Concessionaires backing

Toll concessionaires, namely, San Miguel Infrastructure, Metro Pacific Tollways Corp., MCX Tollway Inc., Bases Conversion and Development Authority, Philippine Reclamation Authority and its wholly owned subsidiary PEA Tollway Corp. supported the initiative as the policy would play a key role in easing traffic at toll plazas, improving safety and convenience for motorists, and optimizing expressway operations.

“Based on the latest data from the TRB, 97 percent of expressway users already use an Electronic Toll Collection Device/RFID Sticker for toll payments. With the reimplementation of the cashless/contactless toll collection policy, we encourage the remaining three percent of motorists who still pay in cash to switch to RFID for a faster, more efficient, and seamless toll experience,” the toll operators said in a statement on Saturday.

They maintained that getting an RFID is simple and hassle-free, adding that the installation is free, with no maintaining balance or minimum load required.