Motorists using toll roads now have over a month to secure their radio frequency identification (RFID) tags after the Department of Transportation (DoTr) extended the deadline for the full implementation of the cashless collection sytem.|In a statement on Wednesday, the DoTr said the shift to this system was moved to December 1 from the original November 2 deadline after toll plazas saw a surge in the number of motorists wanting to get the RFID tags, resulting in long queues. The new deadline “will no longer be extended beyond this date,” it added. Toll Regulatory Board (TRB) Executive Director Abraham Sales said the extension would “give motorists more time to comply with the department order and to prevent the long queues currently being experienced at toll roads in the rush to get the RFID stickers.”Tollway operators Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. and San Miguel Corp. have both extended their RFID installation. In late August, the DoTr issued Department Order 2020-012, mandating the TRB, Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board, and Land Transportation Office to create new processes to ensure operators’ swift adoption of cashless toll collection. The department said contactless transactions shall be implemented in the South Luzon Expressway, Manila-Cavite Toll Expressway, North Luzon Expressway, South Metro Manila Skyway, Southern Tagalog Arterial Road Tollway, Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway, Cavite-Laguna Expressway; and all other road networks, including any extension of the aforementioned expressways that may be constructed, established and/or operated as expressway toll facilities.

Source: Manila Times October 28, 2020 16:29 UTC