San Miguel Corporation has some good news for motorists burdened by rising prices, by way of its yearly toll holiday for both Christmas and New Year on major expressways that it operates.
Motorists can use SMC tollways toll-free for eight hours on December 24 and 31
The company’s tollway arm, SMC Infrastructure, made the announcement Wednesday. According to SMC President Ramon Ang, motorists can use SMC-operated tollways for free from 10:00 p.m. of December 24 to 6:00 a.m. of December 25. Likewise, no toll fees will be collected from travelers passing through toll gates between 10:00 p.m. of December 31 and 6:00 a.m. of January 1, 2023.
Covered by the toll holiday are the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX), Skyway, NAIA Expressway (NAIAX), Southern Tagalog Arterial Road (STAR), and the Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway (TPLEX).
However, Ang warned of possible traffic congestion as travelers make their way out of Metro Manila following relaxed health restrictions, appealing for the public’s understanding.
SMC boss Ramon Ang reminds the public to anticipate traffic congestion during the holiday rush
“What would be a big help is if we all plan out trips well ahead, and leave earlier to allot more time for travel, especially if you are catching a flight or scheduled bus trips,” he said. “For motorists, we also suggest to please make sure your vehicles are in good condition and that your electronic toll collection accounts are topped up to prevent any delays to you and others.”
SMC-operated tollways use the Autosweep radio frequency identification (RFID) tag for cashless toll collection.
The SMC boss added that the company will be fielding additional personnel at its tollways, in coordination with police and local government units, to help manage the anticipated heavy traffic flow. Ambulant tellers will also be positioned at toll plazas to help scan Autosweep cards along queues.
SMC says that Autosweep customer service and installation kiosks will be open throughout the holidays
Autosweep customer service centers and RFID installation kiosks at gasoline stations along SLEX will also remain open for the holidays.
The toll operator recently launched its ‘Seamless Southern Tollways’ initiative that cuts down toll stops for southbound motorists driving through the Skyway System, SLEX, and STAR expressways. This turns the Calamba, SLEX Greenfield, and Sto. Tomas, Batangas toll plazas into pass-through lanes, reducing potential chokepoints. Ang says that feedback from the public on the initiative has been positive so far.
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