While the Department of Transportation (DOTr) is firm in pushing through with the full implementation of the contactless toll collection system, due consideration will still be given to motorists who have yet to secure their radio-frequency identification (RFID) stickers.
This came after Senators Grace Poe and Nancy Binay asked to extend the period of implementation of 100 per cent cashless tollways which was set by the DOTr on December 1.
However, Transportation Assistant Secretary Goddess Libiran said on Wednesday that the rollout of the cashless payment in toll expressways should not be delayed further especially in this time of the pandemic.
"The primary reason for pushing for the implementation of cashless transactions now is because we want to protect the health and safety of the citizens amid the COVID-19 pandemic," Libiran said.
"Actually, we have been pushing for cashless transactions many years back already but we see the greater need now because there is COVID-19," she added.
According to Libiran, the government is already being considerate of the situation of motorists as an extension has been granted on top of the transition period of December 1 to January 11 that the DOTr decided to implement.
The full implementation of the new measure was initially set to begin on November 2 but was delayed and rescheduled to December 1.
Aside from the extensions, Libiran assured motorists that the installation of RFID tags will continue even beyond the transition period to accommodate first-time toll users and those with newly acquired vehicles.
"Stickering lanes will still be maintained. In fact, ang commitment ng ating mga toll operators, lahat ng toll lanes (the commitment of our toll operators is that all toll lanes) may be converted into RFID stickering lanes if necessary," Libiran pointed out.
"This means that if you still don't have an RFID sticker, they will allow you to pass by the toll gate and the sticker will be installed there. The installation will also be 24/7," the DOTr official said.
There will also be no apprehension for vehicles without RFID stickers, but motorists will be issued a traffic violation ticket and may be cited for disregarding traffic signs or obstruction if they are in the wrong lane.
"We just want to ask motorists to ensure that they have sufficient balance in their cards so they don’t have to go to the toll plazas to reload which leads to traffic build-up in expressways,” Libiran added.
Meanwhile, Toll Regulatory Board Executive Director Abraham Sales admitted that vehicular congestion in toll plazas and occasional glitches in the systems have been observed during the first day of its implementation.
But Sales assured that they are continuously coordinating with toll operators Metro Pacific Tollways Corporation (MPTC) and San Miguel Corporation (SMC) to work on the smooth enforcement of the new policy within the transition period.
MPTC operates NLEX, SCTEX, CAVITEX, C5 Link, and CALAX, while the SMC manages STAR, SLEX, Skyway System, NAIA Expressway, and TPLEX.
As of December 1, toll operators noted that the overall cashless payment rate at the MPTC-owned and SMC-managed toll roads are at 83 percent and 99 percent, respectively.
Sales said these numbers are expected to further increase as toll operators are set to install more stickers in the coming months.
Apart from reducing the security risks in cash handling, cashless toll collections are “safer than cash” as paper money may retain bacteria and viruses on their surfaces.