Motorists securing RFID stickers wait in line for 10 hrs. in Taguig

Motorists in Taguig City waited in line for up to 10 hours to secure RFID stickers for their vehicles on Saturday, as the deadline for toll roads operators to implement a 100% cashless payment scheme was extended.

A report on 24 Oras Weekend said motorists piled up along the SLEX-C5 Entry at the expense of physical distancing. Securing Autosweep Premium RFID stickers for trucking companies  took longer than Autosweep To Go RFID, it added.

Both Metro Pacific Tollways Corp and San Miguel Corp. have said motorists will be given more time to secure RFIDs after the government extended its deadline for toll roads operators to implement a 100% cashless payment scheme.

Motorists plying the San Miguel Corp.(SMC)-operated tollways — the Southern Tagalog Arterial Road (STAR), South Luzon Expressway (SLEX), the Skyway System, NAIA Expressway, and the Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway (TPLEX) — have until the end of November to shift to RFID system.

"The company said it would be extending the issuance of its free RFID stickers to November 30,” it said.

However, the company said that by November 2, all lanes at its toll plazas will be fully capable and converted to electronic toll collection.

From November 2 to 30, vehicles without RFID will still be allowed to enter the expressways.

SMC emphasized that November 30 will be the “absolute” deadline.

After which, vehicles without RFID stickers will not be allowed to enter SMC-operated tollways including Skyway, SLEX, NAIAX, STAR Tollways and TPLEX.

For its part, the MPTC said motorists who don’t have RFIDs by November 2 will still be allowed passage through North Luzon Expressway (NLEx), Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEx), Manila-Cavite Expressway (CAVITEx), C5 Link, and Cavite-Laguna Expressway (CALAx).

But motorists who haven’t installed RFID stickers will be directed to the RFID installation lanes where they can have their stickers installed.

Likewise, the MPTC said the corresponding toll fee charge for their passage on that particular day will be deducted from the initial load that they paid in getting the RFID stickers. -MDM, GMA News