On paper, Jose Arturo “Jay Art” Tugade is the executive director of the Toll Regulatory Board (TRB). In person, he is unmistakably a man on a mission — one who believes mobility is not just about roads but about dignity, efficiency and time. His language is technical, but his purpose is simple: get Filipinos where they need to be — faster.

Before stepping into his post at the TRB, Tugade found his footing in government service through two of the country’s largest transportation agencies. 

At the Land Transportation Office (LTO), he helped implement operational reforms designed to streamline licensing and vehicle registration. 

Later, at the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA), he was involved in administrative and logistical management of one of the country’s most complex transport gateways. 

Those roles sharpened his grasp of public service under pressure — a skill set he would need as he now oversees every toll road in the Philippines.

At the TRB, Tugade is navigating a system that inefficiencies and motorist frustration have historically plagued. And yet, he speaks about toll operations not as a burden, but as a long-overdue opportunity for modernization.

“We are studying the multi-link free flow program, which is a manner of toll collection where we do away with physical toll plazas.” 

“Instead, gantries will be installed, which will read the vehicles and deduct the toll fare. This is one of the initiatives we are working on at the TRB, and we hope to finalize it and roll it out sooner rather than later,” he said.

Unified road ahead

Just last week, the TRB marked a milestone with the official launch of the unified RFID system, a long-awaited upgrade that allows motorists to travel across all expressways with a single RFID account. The launch, Tugade said, is a significant breakthrough.

The TRB, which oversees all tollway operators in the country, hailed the unified RFID as the result of years of persistence. “Our objective here is to make the journey of our motorists faster, more comfortable, and more convenient,” Tugade told DAILY TRIBUNE.

For years, Filipino motorists were stuck in a confusing loop of incompatible RFID systems. Those driving north from Manila needed Easytrip for the North Luzon Expressway and the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway but had to switch to Autosweep for the Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway, operated by San Miguel Corp. Southbound travelers faced the same problem, with Cavitex and Coastal Road using a different system from SLEX, Skyway and Ninoy Aquino International Airport Expressway.

Those days are now numbered.

Under the One RFID program, Tugade said motorists can begin enrollment on 21 October, choosing either Autosweep or Easytrip as their primary RFID provider.

“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 said.

The TRB also announced that new RFID tags will be placed behind a vehicle’s windshield — replacing the old practice of sticking them on headlights.

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

But even a minor fix needs motorists’ cooperation.

“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 occasion, the barrier doesn’t lift,” he explained.

“As much as possible, [there should be] no obstruction for the camera to read the RFID sticker properly,” he added.

While unified tolling is now underway, Tugade is already steering toward a bigger change — barrierless tolling, a system already used in developed economies.

“Tugade said the TRB is already studying barrierless toll collection through a multi-lane free flow program, which will remove physical toll booths altogether.”

For Tugade, reforming the country’s tollways is a long drive, not a quick sprint. He knows the system still needs work, but he is moving it forward one policy at a time. His goal is simple: make every journey smoother for every Filipino on the road.

Moving forward 

Once verified by the system’s provider, the second RFID tag will be removed, unifying the tollway payment system.

With one step closer to an even better experience, Tugade is optimistic that tollways will connect to other provinces, expanding economic opportunities and boosting tourism growth.

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

Ongoing extension of tollways run in South Luzon with Toll Road (TR) 4 extending the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) and connecting Manila, Laguna and Cavite to Sto. Tomas, Batangas to Mayao, Quezon Province.

Further extension of the tollway is seen in the TR5 project, extending SLEX into Quezon and potentially beyond the Bicol Region.

“And TRB is excited that by 2026, we will be completing TR4; we also have plans for TR5, and other expressways are also in the pipeline. Our objective here is to make the journey of our motorists faster, more comfortable, and more convenient,” Tugade noted.

Tugade noted that the TRB is open to suggestions to improve the customer experience.

For the TRB chief, the private sector’s cooperation remains the glue that binds the partnership between the government and private enterprises.

“They are very cooperative with TRB’s initiatives and programs, case in point, this One RFID program would not have happened if our private investors did not support it,” he said.

With Tugade’s track record of turning ideas into action in everything he lays his hands on, the TRB is going in the right direction — forward.