MANILA, Philippines – The North Luzon Expressway Corporation (NLEX) is set to implement higher toll rates starting June 15 after the Department of Transportation’s Toll Regulatory Board (TRB) approved the toll rate adjustment and authorized the NLEX to implement a toll rate hike.

The NLEX will implement an additional P7 in the open system, and P0.36 per kilometer in the closed system, the corporation announced in a press release on Saturday, June 10.

Open system refers to vehicles coming from Navotas, Valenzuela, and Caloocan to Marilao, Bulacan, where motorists are charged a flat rate. Meanwhile, closed system refers to the portion between Bocaue, Bulacan and Sta. Ines, Mabalacat, Pampanga – including Subic-Tipo – where users pay per distance they travel.

Under the new toll fee matrix, motorists covered by the open system will make additional payments broken down as follows:

• P7 for class 1 vehicles (regular cars and sport utility vehicles)
• P17 for class 2 vehicles (buses and small trucks)
• P19 for class 3 vehicles (large trucks)

Those traveling the expressway end-to-end between Metro Manila and Mabalacat City will pay:

• P33 for class 1 vehicles
• P81 for class 2 vehicles
• P98 for class 3 vehicles

Here are the full toll matrices for class 1, class 2, and class 3 vehicles:

The NLEX Corporation also announced that public utility vehicles under the NLEX Pass-ada and Tsuper Card discount and rebate programs will still be covered by the old rates.

The new rates were part of the approved NLEX periodic adjustments due in 2012, 2014, 2018, and 2020, the corporation said. The new matrix underwent regulatory reviews and approvals by the TRB. However, the agency maintained that the rates would still be “subject to continuing review by TRB.”

“TRB allowed NLEX to collect this year the fourth and last tranche of the 2012 and 2014 periodic adjustments and only half of the 2018 and 2020 increases to help ‘curb the existing inflationary situation and cushion their impact on the users of the expressway,'” the NLEX Corporation said.

TRB spokesperson Julius Corpuz explained that the big-time hike was also due in part to rising inflation.

“Medyo may kataasan po kasi. ‘Yon pong inflation na ‘yon ang isang bagay na naging dahilan kung bakit medyo may kataasan ng konti itong toll fee increase kumpara sa dati,” Corpuz said in a TV5 interview on Tuesday, June 13.

(It’s a bit higher this time. Inflation is one of the reasons why the toll fee increase is quite big compared to previous ones.)

Corpuz also explained that another consideration in computing toll hikes is the “minimum base escalator.” This is a factor applied to toll rates so that they can start out low before gradually increasing over time so that the toll operators can recover their investment.

The TRB also said that with the increase, NLEX Corporation is expected to continue its improvement and expansion projects, such as the 3rd Candaba Viaduct, the connection from Mindanao Avenue to C5 and Commonwealth Avenue, and the addition of lanes from San Fernando to Sta. Ines, Pampanga.

In 2021, the corporation also implemented a 2% to 3% toll increase as “part of the approved periodic adjustments due in 2012 and 2014.”

‘Fix traffic first’

Senate Minority Leader Koko Pimentel III on Tuesday urged the TRB and NLEX Corporation to halt the toll rate increase, which could affect the 280,000 vehicles plying NLEX on a daily basis.

“Our people are grappling with the effects of inflation and, therefore, implementing a toll increase at these challenging times would exacerbate their economic hardships,” Pimentel said in a statement.

The senator also called the increase “unjustifiable” given the “EDSA-like traffic” along NLEX, especially from Balintawak to Meycauayan.

“Bago sila humingi ng dagdag na bayad, ayusin muna nila ang trapik sa NLEX (Before they ask for a toll fare increase, they should fix traffic first). I call on the management of NLEX to address this perennial traffic buildup on our major expressway,” he said. – with reports from Lance Spencer Yu/Rappler.com