Toll regulator warns operators on hitches in cashless payments
MANILA, Philippines — Toll concessionaires and operators may face penalties, or even suspended toll collections, for any continued violation of the implementing rules and regulations on the cashless transactions on expressways, the Toll Regulatory Board warned.
This comes after Valenzuela City Mayor Rex Gatchalian suspended the business permit of the North Luzon Expressway Corp. to operate within the city, citing the "abysmal state of [the] RFID system" which he said "contributes to the chaos and exacerbates the traffic situation."
READ: Valenzuela suspends NLEX business permit
In a statement sent to reporters Tuesday evening, the Toll Regulatory Board said that glitches identified in a systems audit have already been brought to the attention of toll operators and acknowledged and "admitted to be happening" by the NLEX Corp., though the TRB added that these were nothing new.
"In the case of Valenzuela City cancellation of mayor's permit of NLEX, this is a matter between the City of Valenzuela and the NLEX Operator. We have been assured that this is being given appropriate attention and hoped to be resolved very soon," the statement read.
The TRB, in its statement, also outlined the measures that toll operators "have been ordered to aggressively pursue and consistently implement," among which include:
- Replacement of defective sensors and readers of RFID equipment
- Relocation of RFID installation lanes that hamper traffic flow
- Maintenance and upgrading of systems software
- Enhancement of traffic management
- Improvement of customer service assistance
READ: Government seeks to integrate cashless toll system in expressways
Traffic woes spawned by RFID implementation come as a result of a prohibition of most cash payments in toll roads to lessen the risk of coronavirus transmission, all part of an ongoing thrust of the department to come up with a seamless toll system where motorists would only have to load only one wallet.
Earlier, Sen. Nancy Binay called on the same companies to launch information campaigns to alleviate the renewed traffic woes caused by the RFID implementation, saying many of the problems were caused by a lapse in dissemination.
"TRB has identified actions needed to be taken by operators to achieve least inconvenience in this program intended to help stop the spread of coronavirus," the TRB also said.
— Franco Luna
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