TRB expands dry run of cashless tollway collection

MANILA  -Starting today, Sept. 8, more toll plazas are participating in the dry run of contactless program that started on Sept. 1 as the Department of Transportation (DOTr) pushes to promote cashless transactions.

An advisory from the Toll Regulatory Board (TRB) shows the following toll plazas are now part of the program:

• NAIA Expressway
• NAIAX Road B
• South Metro Manila Skyway Stage 1&2
  -Merville Toll Plaza
  -Sucat SB and NB Exit
  -Bicutan SB and NB Entry
• Metro Manila Skyway Stage 3
  -Buendia NB Entry
  -Plaza Dilao Toll PLaza
  -Quezon Ave. SB Entry
• South Luzon Expressway (SLEX)
  -Eton SB and NB Entry/Exit
  -Cabuyao SB Entry
  -Alabang SB and NB Entry/Exit
  -Batino SB Exit
  -Calamba Turbina A NB Entry
• STAR Tollway
  -Sto. Tomas NB Entry
• Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway (TPLEX)
  -Anao Toll Plaza
  -Pura Toll Plaza
  -Pozzorubio Toll Plaza

Other participating toll plazas include those in Muntinlupa-Cavite Expressway, North Luzon Expressway, Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway, Cavite-Laguna Expressway and Manila-Cavite Toll Expressway-C5 Southlink.

“On participating toll plazas, motorists with no RFID (radio frequency identification) stickers shall be directed to a safe place/location where he can pay the toll fees in cash, and shall be persuaded to have an RFID sticker installed,” TRB noted.

The DOTr said the findings of the two-month dry run would determine if the contactless program would be made permanent.

“On query if cashless will be permanent, that will depend on the results of the two-month dry run and if the DOTr will find merit for the reimplementation of the contactless/cashless program,” DOTr told the Inquirer.

The DOTr previously issued an order in 2020 requiring cashless or contactless transactions via RFID stickers as it sought to mitigate the transmission of COVID-19.

Due to complaints arising from glitches in the electronic toll collection (ETC) system, however, the department issued an addendum permitting vehicles with no RFID stickers to use the tollways and requiring cash lanes in all toll plazas.