Cashless toll payment, or “full Radio Frequency Identification (RFID in the expressways, after whatever refinement will be mandated, is just the first stage”, according to Rodrigo E. Franco, president and CEO of the Metro Pacific Tollways Corporation (MPTC).
The final stage is the vision of the ‘open road’ with neither barriers nor tollgates in expressways.
“Our common vision for the future is to bring tolling technology in the country to the modern age,” Franco explained.
But before this, operators need to have an interoperable toll collection system in the country.
Already, all of MPTC's expressways are prepared for both cashless and cash payments.
“We are prepared to respond favorably to any initiative taken by the executive and legislative branches to make expressways even more convenient and safer for our customers,” Franco stressed yesterday's (Dec. 17) hearing conducted by the Senate Committee on Public Services held yesterday.
Earlier, 14 senators signed Senate Resolution 596 calling for the temporary halt to cashless transactions in all expressways.
Part of the Senate Resolution seeks to amend the Department of Transportation (DOTr)'s rule “to improve the implementation of cashless or contactless transactions on all limited access facilities.”
In an earlier statement, Committee Chair Sen. Grace Poe acknowledged the necessity of RFID, as long as implementation procedures are ironed out.
“Cashless transactions on our expressways are indeed ideal. Especially in this time of the pandemic. I daresay that it is a necessity,” she noted.
Indeed, the MPTC President revealed that the transition from cash to cashless transactions was a huge effort.
“It involved a massive and comprehensive undertaking since 1.2 million RFID stickers had to be installed in a span of less than four months. “
MPTC’s tollway network opened 283 RFID lanes in the toll plazas to the customers.
“We sincerely apologize to our customers and partners for the inconvenience in the run up to December 1, the first day of the implementation of the cashless contactless program," Franco acknowledged.
After the “birth pains” during the first week of implementation, Franco said, traffic flow at the toll plazas have significantly improved”.
Additional system enhancements “are forthcoming this month and next month to make the RFID experience even more pleasant", Franco pledged.
MPTC is government’s partner in building and modernizing the transport infrastructure in the Philippines, he noted.
“Our investments in expressways that are already operating or under construction in the Philippines will reach P180 billion,” he pointed out.