12% NLEX toll hike sought

MANILA, Philippines - The Manila North Tollways Corp. (MNTC) will file a petition with the Toll Regulatory Board (TRB) for a 12 percent rate increase for use of the 96-kilometer North Luzon Expressway (NLEX).  MNTC spokesman Marlyn Ochoa said this is the first time in five years that they are seeking a toll increase.

“We will submit our proposal to the TRB for approval,” she said in a phone interview.

Under their proposal, class A vehicles passing the open system from Balintawak to Bocaue in Bulacan will have to pay a fixed toll of P41, up from P36, while the toll increase beyond the open system will be determined by distance.

The increase, if granted, would be implemented next January. Some 156,000 motorists pass the NLEX everyday.

Ochoa noted that under their contract with the government, MNTC is allowed to increase toll every two years.

The MNTC, the builder and concessionaire of the NLEX, runs all tollway operations – from toll collection to traffic management, motorist assistance and road maintenance.