Motorists have been given more time to have radio-frequency identification stickers installed in their vehicles after the Department of Transportation pushed the start of the mandatory cashless transaction in all toll expressways from Nov. 2 to Dec. 1.
“For now, they can still pay the toll using cash but after that, they will be asked to park on the side of the road and have an RFID installed on their vehicles,” Transport Assistant Secretary Goddes Hope Libiran said in a message on Wednesday.
The extension is to prevent the long queues being experienced at the toll roads “in the rush to get RFID stickers,” Toll Regulatory Board Executive Director Abraham Sales said in a media bulletin.
Sales, however, said the deadline would no longer be extended beyond Dec. 1.
“Secretary [Arthur] Tugade allowed the extension in order to give motorists, especially infrequent toll road users, more time to comply with the department order,” he said.
Motorists who enter toll expressways with no RFID by Dec. 1 and beyond “will be apprehended and issued a citation ticket,” the TRB said.
Transport Assistant Secretary Mark Steven Pastor have asked motorists to make use of the extended deadline and have the RFIDs installed in their vehicles as early as they can.
“Iwasan natin ‘yung kung kailan isang linggo na lang, saka tayo magmamadaling magpunta sa installation sites para magpakabit ng RFID. Now we are extending the deadline to give further consideration. Let us use the extension wisely,” Pastor said.
Earlier, the TRB said Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. and San Miguel Corp.-the two operators and maintenance providers of the country’s toll expressways—were equipped and ready to implement mandatory cashless transactions and had extended the installation of RFID stickers beyond Nov. 2.
The DOTr earlier issued Department Order 2020-012 directing the implementation of cashless toll collections at all expressways and major toll roads to ease the spread of the coronavirus disease.