Don't Panic: RFID Installation Will Continue After December 1

Still waiting to get your Autosweep RFID or EasyTrip RFID? No need to panic if you can’t get one beyond December 1, 2020, says the Department of Transportation (DOTr).

With the DOTr mandating the shift to cashless payment at toll roads surrounding Metro Manila, long queues and buggy appointment systems have caused frustration with the two electronic toll collection providers. That said, the DOTr reiterates that the December 1 deadline simply means a move to full cashless transactions. RFID installation will continue beyond December 1.

The DOTr reiterates that the installation of RFID stickers will continue as a regular program for first-time motorists, new cars, or anyone who will use any tollway for the first time even after December 1. The deadline set by the government agency only signifies the start of the implementation of full cashless transactions at expressways.

Earlier, the Toll Regulatory Board (TRB), an attached agency of the DoTr which supervises the operations of toll roads, said the MPTC and SMC are equipped and are ready to implement the DoTr order and have likewise respectively extended the installation of RFID stickers beyond November 2, 2020.

Further, according to the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) set by the TRB, Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) Tag or RFID installation/registration and account reloading/balance verification stations shall be set up in various strategic areas and locations. This can be accessed at all entries to expressways as well as other sites such as convenience stores, malls, online stores, banks, and even electronic wallets.

The TRB has also directed stakeholders to ensure the fast and convenient installation of the RFID stickers by reducing the needed documents to a bare minimum, offering free installation services, and providing an initial minimum toll fee load requirement for activation of the motorist’s account. The load shall have no expiration as well.

So, if you are a vehicle owner and a frequent road user, you should keep in mind that the December 1 deadline only marks the start of cashless transactions at the tollways, but does not mean the end of RFID sticker installations. There is no need to panic.

Having said that, if you plan to enter any expressway after the deadline without the appropriate RFID installed, you will be fined and ticketed.

Source: Car Guides PH