Fines for tollway RFID, load violations deferred to October

MANILA, Philippines — Enforcement of penalties for using expressways without an electronic toll collection (ETC) device has been deferred, from Aug. 31 to Oct. 1, to give motorists more time to comply with new rules.

Motorists without an ETC device will face a fine of P1,000 for a first offense, P2,000 for a second offense and P5,000 for third offense, based on a joint memorandum circular signed by Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista.

For insufficient or zero load balance on radio frequency identification devices (RFID), motorists exiting tollways will pay P500 for the first offense, P1,000 for a second offense and P2,500 for subsequent offenses.

Sen. Grace Poe earlier questioned toll operators’ readiness to fully shift to cashless payments, citing complaints on the reliability of RFID readers.

Bautista then postponed the Aug. 31 deadline, giving toll companies additional time to improve their receivers for cashless transactions.

The deferral, Bautista said, also provides motorists more time to read the guidelines.

Bautista maintained that the Department of Transportation stands by its policy for tollways to fully shift to cashless transactions.

In 2021, the Toll Regulatory Board (TRB) instructed tollways to dedicate only one lane for cash payments while other lanes are for ETC. 

Nine percent of motorists traversing expressways are causing traffic buildup, especially at toll plazas, for failing to load up before traveling, based on TRB estimates.

Bautista believes that going cashless will improve traffic flow on toll roads.