The Toll Regulatory Board (TRB) said on Tuesday, January 12, that the transition period for the 100% cashless transaction scheme in tollways will remain in effect “until further notice.”

This means that the full implementation of the program was postponed for the 3rd time.

“Cash lanes will still be available. Motorists without RFID will not be apprehended. RFID subscription and installation [are] available in many locations designated by the toll operators,” TRB Spokesperson Julius Corpuz told Rappler.

On Tuesday, Metro Pacific Tollways Corporation (MPTC) said 2.08 million RFID stickers have been installed since August 2020. The firm said 85% of motorists passing through MPTC-managed expressways are using RFID.

MPTC has 53 EasyTrip RFID installation booths in customer service centers, gas stations, and near toll plazas. It operates the North Luzon Expressway, Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway, Cavite Expressway, and Cavite-Laguna Expressway.

San Miguel Corporation (SMC), meanwhile, has 156 AutoSweep RFID installation booths in toll plazas, gas stations, government offices, and malls. It operates the Southern Tagalog Arterial Road, South Luzon Expressway, Skyway, NAIA Expressway, and Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway.

Last December, President Rodrigo Duterte blamed the TRB for its “incompetence” in handling the implementation of the RFID scheme.

Back in August, the Department of Transportation ordered the implementation of cashless transactions in expressways, with November as the original deadline for the installation of RFID stickers. This was later pushed back to December, and eventually, to January.

But the partial run of the program in December was marred by technical glitches and kilometers of traffic, which the TRB downplayed as “birth pains.”

The Valenzuela City government had to flex its power to push MPTC subsidiary NLEX Corporation to fix its RFID sensors and prevent further gridlock, briefly suspending the latter’s business permit. – Rappler.com