DOTr urged to fast track RFID unified toll collection system    

The House Committee on Transportation Chairman and Antipolo City Representative Romeo Acop has recently stated that the unified toll collection system is of crucial importance and that it should be fast-tracked. Rep. Acop mentioned this on November 24, 2022 during a panel hearing at the House of Representatives.  

Because juggling two or more RFID accounts is inconvenient

A unified toll collection system entails seamless interconnection between the different toll roads in the country. In the books of the House of Representatives, this initiative is dubbed as the Toll Interoperability Project. Connected to this are House Resolution 159 and House Bill 1966, which were discussed during the said panel meeting.   

House Resolution 159 focuses on the Phase 2 and 3 of the Toll Interoperability Project, which is yet to be implemented on major expressways. House Bill 1966 in turn, mandates toll operators to adopt a standard and unified electronic toll collection system by way of RFIDs.   

As one would imagine, the Toll Interoperability Project would allow for better convenience for motorists. It eliminates the need to keep track of multiple RFID accounts, so it is much more convenient than juggling around multiple RFID accounts for use on different tollway systems.   

As of the moment, there are currently several privately owned RFID systems in place for specific tollways in the country. Examples of these include Easytrip, Autosweep, E-Tap, among others. 

Each of these, while innovative, is somewhat limited in its use. Easytrip for example, may only be used on the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX), the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX), etc. Then, if one needs to take a route through the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) one will also need a loaded-up and activated Autosweep account.  

A unified toll collection system makes for a better travelling experience on tollways

So while that may be the reality for now, it is without a doubt quite inconvenient. If one needs to travel from Autosweep roads to Easytrip roads and vice versa, one must manage two RFID accounts. This entails making sure they’re loaded up, downloading two different smartphone apps for each RFID account, installing two different RFID stickers on one’s vehicle, etc.  

For a bit of hope on this matter, the Toll Regulatory Board (TRB) Public Utilities Regulation Officer Patrick Ojano did report that Phase 2 of the Toll Interoperability Project is slated to be implemented in January 2023. This allows for Easytrip RFIDs to be readable on Autosweep tollways. 

Then again, Phase 3 which mandates a “One RFID tag, One E-Wallet, One Account” policy, is still a pipe dream. 

For more car news and more automotive industry updates, keep it here on the Philippines' largest automotive portal.