Now that the RFID (Radio-frequency identification) system has become united and one, traveling using expressways is now simpler and easier.

“Our objective here is to make the journey of our motorists faster, more comfortable, and more convenient,” Toll Regulatory Board (TRB) Executive Director Jose Arturo Tugade told DAILY TRIBUNE on Tuesday.

The TRB is the regulating body of all tollway operators in the country.

Motorists experience delays at toll plazas due to insufficient funds in their RFID accounts, which are used to pay for expressway use managed by the private sector. According to drivers, these are caused by the confusing systems used by various tollway operators.

When traveling northward, motorists coming from Manila will utilize the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) Connector going to NLEX itself, which is operated by the Metro Pacific Tollways Corporation (MPTC) using the Easytrip RFID tag. This is followed by the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX), also operated by MPTC. Afterwards, motorists transfer to the Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway (TPLEX) for those heading to popular destinations such as La Union, Baguio, and Ilocos.

The last expressway is operated by a separate company, San Miguel Corporation, which uses the Autosweep RFID.

The same goes for southbound travel. The Southern Luzon Expressway, Skyway, and NAIA Expressway are operated by SMC, while Cavitex and the Coastal Road are operated by MPTC — each using their own platforms.

With the unification of these platforms, motorists will no longer need to top up their RFID accounts separately and can just load one account to use all tollways.

How to avail?

Tugade said motorists can avail of the One RFID program starting 21 October 2025, and they may choose their desired RFID provider — either Autosweep or Easytrip.

“After they go online [or] to the office of the RFID provider they have chosen, what they will do is remove the sticker they did not choose and then the [RFID] sticker they have chosen will be evaluated. If their sticker is no longer readable or has some wear and tear, our operator will replace the RFID sticker free of charge, at no cost to motorists,” he explained.

New RFID tags behind windshield

New RFID tags will be placed behind the windshield for optimal usage, as their position can be read by scanning cameras.

“The previous RFID stickers that were still attached to the headlamps were a bit unreadable by the cameras and in the heat and rain, they got cooked and stopped working,” Tugade pointed out.

He further elaborated that the new RFID stickers must be placed on a windshield with no obstructions. Vehicles with tints may consider cutting out a portion of their tinted windshield to place the RFID or removing a section entirely.

“Sometimes, our only requirement is to place it inside the windshield, [but] if the tint is too dark, some readers have difficulty reading the RFID sticker. That's why it takes a while, on ocassion, the barrier doesn't lift,” Tugade said.

“That [tinted] portion needs to be as much as possible, no obstruction for the camera to read the RFID sticker properly,” he added.

Barrierless tollways

In keeping with technological advancements, Tugade said the TRB is exploring ways to implement toll gates without barriers, noting that the One RFID is a step in that direction.

“We at the TRB now are also studying the multi-lane free flow program, which is a manner of toll collection wherein we do away with the physical toll plazas and we will install a gantry which reads the RFID sticker in vehicles and they can deduct the toll fare. This is one of the initiatives that we are doing at the TRB and we hope that we will be able to finilize these and roll it out sooner,” he said.

Improvements in toll booths

Tugade noted that the TRB conducts a “vigorous and continuous audit” of toll plazas, particularly in the reaction time of barriers once the camera scans RFID stickers and confirms toll fee payment.

“Right now, the technology [we are] using is good, it is currently used by the industry, and that's what our expressway operators use,” he said.

Future plans

The TRB is looking forward to the completion of Toll Road (TR) Projects 4 and 5, which will extend SLEX — connecting Santo Tomas, Batangas, to Lucena City in Quezon (TR4), and later on to Matnog, Sorsogon (TR5).

“We at the TRB are very optimistic about the programs and future plans of our expressways,” he said.