Toll regulatory body told: Fix faulty RFID system

SEN. Raffy Tulfo yesterday called on the Toll Regulatory Board (TRB) to fix the faulty Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) system that has been causing traffic in expressways.

Tulfo, who chairs the Committee on Public Services, said he has received numerous complaints about the faulty RFID system, including non-readable tags due to reader malfunction or poor tag placement which do not automatically raise barriers in tollway entry points.

He said he called up TRB executive director Alvin Carullo and proposed that if RFID readers malfunction with three vehicles queuing up, toll expressway operators must lift the barriers in entry points and make tolls free of charge until the issues are addressed.

He also urged the TRB to start implementing a barrier-less system in the country’s expressways.

He said Carullo promised to discuss this with the TRB Board.

Tulfo said motorists are sometime barred from the tollway gates due to zero balance in their RFIDs even if they have loaded enough amounts to their accounts.

To pass through, Tulfo said motorists are compelled to reload their RFIDs for the second time but have to wait at least 48 hours for the operators to refund the balance that did not reflect in their accounts.

He said the TRB should impose hefty fines and penalties against toll operators each time they commit violations and inconvenience motorists.

Tulfo reminded the TRB to resolve the issues by October this year, a deadline promised by Carullo, saying motorists should get the services they pay for to save time and hassle.

Tulfo filed Senate Resolution no. 1060 last Tuesday to investigate the lapses and hold the TRB and toll operators accountable. He is set to conduct a hearing when sessions resume on July 22.