The Toll Regulatory Board (TRB) has announced the addition of more toll plazas participating in the dry run of the Radio Frequency Identification-only (RFID) payment scheme on expressways. This is the fourth batch of toll plazas added to the dry run since it was started on the first week of September 2023.
Additional SLEX and Skyway Stage 3 toll booths joined the dry run on Sept. 28, 2023
Already added to the dry run as of September 28, 2023 for Autosweep RFID subscribers are the following toll plazas:
South Luzon Expressway (SLEX)
-Filinvest Entry
-Sta. Rosa Northbound Entry and Exit
-Calamba Northbound Exit
Metro Manila Skyway Stage 3
-Quezon Avenue Northbound Exit
For Easytrip subscribers meanwhile, these toll plazas will be joining the RFID-only dry run on October 1, 2023:
North Luzon Expressway (NLEX)
-Tabang Entry and Exit
-Angeles Entry and Exit
According to the TRB, toll plazas that are yet to join the dry run will continue to operate both their RFID lanes and cash lanes. But on the ones that are already participating in the dry run, cars that are not equipped with RFID stickers will be directed to park at a safe location. There, the driver can pay the toll fees and “shall be persuaded to have an RFID sticker installed.”
Of note, the dry run for the cashless payment scheme was deemed necessary by the agency as it determined that 84 percent of toll lanes are now ready to do away with cash transactions. The TRB itself has conducted tests on the said toll lanes, and it was reported previously by the agency that these facilities now have a 98 percent readability rate, which can charge the right amount of toll fees with the corresponding updated balance information.
Two more toll plazas on NLEX will join the RFID-only dry run on October 1.
As such, the TRB encourages road users to secure their Easytrip or Autosweep RFID stickers and accounts as soon as possible. These are said to provide more convenient and faster transactions on toll plazas, the agency stated. There’s also the fact that more and more toll plazas will be added to the dry run soon.
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