Smile, candid camera soon at toll booths

After being repeatedly postponed, the mandated installation of the Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) in all vehicles to allow passing through the country’s tollways will definitely be implemented not later than October this year. The full implementation of the RFID is one of the short-term measures agreed upon during the traffic summit convened earlier this month by President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.

The RFID refers to a technology that uses small chips to store and transmit information wirelessly for tracking and identification purposes. Electronic barriers automatically lift to vehicles with RFID that are pre-paid.

Motorists who do not have RFID installed at their vehicles but pay in cash are among the identified causes of chokepoints in toll booths and ensuing traffic jams along the roads connected to the Skyway, the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX), the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX), among them. Seen as adding to the long queues at the toll booths is the tollway operators using different electronic toll collection (ETC) systems.

Metro Pacific Tollways (MPTC) president and chief executive officer Rogelio “Babes” Singson announced they are ready to fully enforce the RFID requirement. In fact, Singson disclosed in our Kapihan sa Manila Bay news forum last Wednesday that the respective representatives of the MPTC and the San Miguel Corporation (SMC) met earlier this week to review the refinements of the “one electronic wallet,” or e-wallet once the mandated use of RFID takes effect.

Singson admitted the MPTC and the SMC are still discussing how to implement what he termed as “suklian,” or roughly translated, to pay loose change. This is how to go about the transfer of payments between the two tollway concessionaires, he explained.

The MPTC has its own EasyTrip System used by motorists to enable passage to the NLEX; Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX); Cavite-Laguna Expressway (CALAX); Manila-Cavite Expressway (CAVITEX); the NLEX Connector with Skyway; and the Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway. On the other hand, the SMC uses its own Autosweep to enable motorists to pass through the Skyway; SLEX; the STAR Tollway and NAIA Expressway.

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