After providing free use of its 18-kilometer P80-billion Skyway Stage 3 project for nearly seven months, San Miguel Corporation (SMC) starts collecting toll on its new elevated expressway on Monday, July 12.

However, the operator will charge lower than the original proposed toll fees, particularly for motorists traveling shorter distances.

The Toll Regulatory Board (TRB) already issued the Toll Operating Permit and a Notice to Start Collecting Toll for Skyway Stage 3.

SMC, through subsidiary SMC Infrastructure, will post the final approved toll rates at the toll plazas.

The revised, TRB-approved toll matrix, considered the impact of the pandemic on Filipinos.

"We know that times are hard for many, and even a little relief for motorists can go a long way," remarked SMC president and chief operating officer Ramon S. Ang.

"These toll rates reflect our deferral of the collection of a substantial amount of the cost to build Skyway 3. We also further lowered the rates for those traveling shorter distances,” the SMC president explained.

The tolls collected will provide the company revenues to ensure efficient operations, maintenance, and safe driving conditions on the elevated expressway as daily traffic puts a heavy strain on the road infrastructure.

Prior to the soft-opening of Skyway 3 at the end of December last year, SMC had opened the Buendia to Plaza Dilao section of the elevated expressway in July 2019.

The northbound Quirino off-ramp was then opened in December of that year.

Use of these sections have been free to the public ever since.

Since its opening, the Skyway Stage 3 also allowed motorists to experience seamless connection from South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) to North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) and vice versa.

It has reduced travel time from Alabang to Balintawak and vice versa, to 30 minutes from the previous three hours, and from Buendia to Balintawak, to only 20 minutes-- saving motorists not time as well as fuel and maintenance costs.

With a capacity of 200,000 vehicles per day, it has also decongested traffic on major Metro Manila thoroughfares, including Edsa and C-5.

With the start of toll collection, government can now also start generating significant income from the expressway, as it imposes a 12 % VAT on all toll fees.

SMC, which fully-funded the construction of the project with no government funds or guarantees, spent over P80 billion--more than double its original cost --to complete the project over a period that spans two administrations.

Much of the delays and additional costs were due to numerous contentious right-of-way issues that caused major redesigns and realignments. SMC also shouldered the cost of reconstructing three Metro Manila bridges.