The Department of Transportation (DOTr) has deferred the implementation of the revised guidelines on toll expressways to October 1 to allow concessionaires finetune their expressway operations and give ample time to inform the public on the new rules.
This was announced by DOTr Secretary Jaime Bautista in a statement yesterday.
The revised guidelines contained in Joint Memorandum Circular (JMC) no. 2024-01 and originally set for implementation on August 31, among others, impose penalties for lack of installed electronic toll collection (ETC) device or insufficient load balance of the Radio Frequency Identification Device (RFID).
“We hope the concerned agencies and tollway operators would use the 30-day deferment to finetune expressway operations and further intensify the public information campaign to enable tollway users to comply with the new guidelines,” said Bautista.
The JMC signed last August 1 by Bautista, Assistant Secretary Vigor Mendoza II of the Land Transportation Office (LTO) and executive director Alvin Carullo of the Toll Regulatory Board (TRB) also updated the responsibilities of LTO, TRB, DOTr, tollway concessionaires and users and strengthens the deputization by LTO of tollway enforcers of the two groups of tollway operators.
“These revised guidelines should significantly improve traffic along expressways through cashless or contactless toll plazas,” added Bautista.
In 2021, TRB moved closer to cashless expressways by designating only one exit lane for cash transactions at toll plazas (all other lanes for Julius Corpuz, TRB spokesperson, told a television interview yesterday, government is gunning for the full implementation of cashless and contactless expressway transaction by October 31.
On the JMC, Corpuz said data showed 90 percent of vehicles traversing the expressways are compliant RFID users, meaning they have sufficient load when they enter the ETC.
The JMC, he said, will now penalize the remaining 10 percent of commuters who either enter the ETCs with no stickers or whose RFIDs have insufficient load.
The deferment, he said, will give toll operators and concessionaires time to address issues related on their systems and equipment.
Entering a tollway without an RFID sticker shall be fined P1,000 for the first offense, P2,000 for the second offense, and P5,000 for succeeding offenses.
Leaving the toll expressway with not enough balance to cover fees will be fined P500 for the first offense, P1,000 for the second offense, and P2,500 for the succeeding offenses.
