RFID only: Dry run of cashless toll collection begins Sept 1

Contactless collection of toll fees to be implemented by both SMC Tollways and MPTC

Motorists without RFID stickers better get one soon. The Toll Regulatory Board (TRB) has announced that starting September 1, 2023, the dry run for contactless (AKA cashless) toll collection will begin, albeit on select toll plazas.

In an official post on its Facebook page, the TRB shared that select, qualified toll plazas will hold a dry-run of the contactless program for a period of two months. For the government agency, the dry-run is a necessary procedure to ascertain the readiness of the Tollway Concessionaires and Operators for the smooth and efficient re-implementation of the said contactless means of collecting toll fees.

In a recent briefing, Metro Pacific Tollways Corporation president Rogelio Singson announced that their expressways will have multi-lane, barrier-less toll plazas to ensure a smooth traffic flow although he did not state as to exactly when all of its expressways will remove toll barriers.

“We will go cashless, multi-lane and barrier-less and there will be no toll booths. That’s how it is abroad,” said Singson.

For now, the only expressway under MPTC that doesn't have toll barriers and use RFID exclusively is the recently-opened NLEX Connector.

Likewise, San Miguel Corporation (SMC) president Ramon S. Ang has also announced that they would also remove cash lanes and switch over to cashless payments via RFID upon the approval of regulators and the government.

Originally, the full implementation of the cashless system was supposed to have been set last January 11, 2021. But due to several glitches and bugs caused by the RFID systems put up by both MPTC and SMC Tollways, the TRB and the Department of Transportation (DOTr) agreed to suspend the full rollout of cashless toll collection in order for the tollway operators to improve their systems, as well as allow motorists to have more time to get RFID stickers.

In the TRB's recent performance audits of ETCs on expressways from February 23 to June 22 of 2023, it assessed a total of 717 out of 852 or 84% toll lanes used the cashless system. The remaining 135 toll lanes or 16 % are cash lanes and will be tested once converted to ETC lanes.

Below is the full list of toll plazas that are qualified to participate in the 2-month dry run.

Easytrip subscribers:

A. North Luzon Expressway – all toll plazas

B. Subic Clark Tarlac Expressway – all toll plazas

C. Cavite-Laguna Expressway – all toll plazas

D. Manila-Cavite Toll Expressway-C5 Southlink

• Taguig Toll Plaza

• Merville Toll Plaza

Autosweep subscribers:

A. NAIA Expressway – all toll plazas

B. South Metro Manila Skyway, Stages 1 and 2

• Skyway Elevated Alpha and Bravo

• C5 Exit and Entry

• Nichols Entry
- Nichols Exit

• Merville Exit

• Bicutan Entry Southbound (SB) and Northbound (NB)

• Sucat Exit SB and NB

• Alabang SB Exit

C. South Luzon Expressway

• Filinvest Exit and Entry

• Alabang NB and SB

• Mamplasan NB

• Sta. Rosa NB

• ABI SB and NB

• Cabuyao SB

• Silangan SB

• Batino SB Exit

• Calamba-Turbina SB Exit

• Calamba NB Exit

• Canlubang SB Entry

• Calamba SB Entry

• Calamba-Real NB Entry

• Calamba-Turbina A NB Entry

D. Muntinlupa-Cavite Expressway – all toll plazas

E. Metro Manila Skyway Stage 3

• Buendia NB Entry

• Buendia SB Exit

• Plaza Dilao SB Entry

• G. Araneta NB Entry

• Quezon Ave. NB Entry

• Quezon Ave. NB Exit

• Quezon Ave. SB Entry

• Del Monte NB Alpha

F. Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway

• Victoria Toll Plaza

• Pura Toll Plaza

• Anao Toll Plaza

• Pozzorubio Toll Plaza

• Rosario Toll Plaza

G. STAR Tollway

• Sto. Tomas SB Entry

• Sto. Tomas NB Entry

• Tanauan NB Entry