SLEx to hike toll rates Friday

MANILA, Philippines—Motorists will have to pay higher toll at the South Luzon Expressway (SLEx) starting Friday as the highway’s operator implements the last of four adjustments to bring fees to government-approved levels.

This will be the last of four monthly toll adjustments implemented by South Luzon Tollways Corp. (SLTC), the company that spent P14 billion to modernize SLEx and now operates the road.

Last December, the Toll Regulatory Board (TRB) approved a hike in toll at SLEx of about 300 percent of the previous rate that was set in the 1980s. But SLTC voluntarily raised rates only by 250 percent to soften the blow of higher rates on motorists.

“For the past four months, our customers have enjoyed discounted toll,” SLTC president Isaac David said in an interview.

The initial discount on rates was an average of 11.4 percent. This went down to around 7 percent in February and 4 percent at the start of March.

“Starting [Friday], we will implement the rate approved by the government last year (2010),” he said.

This means SLTC may now charge P86 for Class 1 vehicles, P172 for Class 2, and P258 for class 3. This is from P76 for class 1, P152 for class 2 and P165 for class 3 vehicles at the start of the year.

David said that the improvements done on SLEx, which used to be a pot hole-ridden two-lane road but has become a “world-class” four-lane highway, justified the increase in rates.

“Our maintenance of the road is now remarkable and it’s also very clean now. This means safer travel for motorists that use the road,” David said.

Aside from widening the highway, David said SLTC has also improved the traffic monitoring system at SLEx, allowing the company to spot accidents immediately. This lets them act fast to help drivers and passengers that may be hurt in any accident, as well as clear the road of any obstructions that may hassle other motorists.

SLTC is controlled by Malaysian conglomerate MTD Capital Berhad.