Cash lanes reopened in all expressways after RFID mess on NLEX —TRB

Cash lanes have been made available in all expressways within the transition period to the contactless RFID collection system, Toll Regulatory Board (TRB) spokesperson Julius Corpuz said on Monday.

Interviewed on Dobol B sa News TV, Corpuz made the statement when asked if cash payment is also available in other expressways like the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX), after North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) reopened some lanes for it.

“Applicable po 'yan sa lahat ng ating expressways,” Corpuz said.

“At 'yan ay ipinapatalaga ng ating kalihim ng transportasyon kung kinakailangan at para maibsan ang traffic ay may magagamit na cash lane lalo na during the transition period,” he added.

On Monday, cash lanes were seen at some toll plazas on NLEX two weeks after the implementation of 100% cashless transactions in expressways through radio frequency identification (RFID) system.

“May mga lugar naman kasi na hindi naman kinailangan kaya hindi na masyadong ipinagamit noon,” Corpuz said.

“Pero ngayon, pinapa-ano po namin na merong available parati (na cash lanes), na puwedeng gamitin kung kinakailangan para maibsan po ang traffic,” he added.

SMC Tollways also issued an advisory on Twitter on Monday that cash lanes will be in place on SLEX, Skyway, NAIA Expressway (NAIAX), Southern Tagalog Arterial Road (STAR) and Tarlac–Pangasinan–La Union Expressway (TPLEX).

Motorist Advisory #AutosweepRFID#SLEX #Skyway #NAIAX #STAR #TPLEX pic.twitter.com/BdrzOMNX5c

— SLEX - MaTES (@OfficialSLEX) December 13, 2020

During the initial implementation of cashless transactions, some RFID stickers were unreadable to some NLEX sensors, forcing motorists to go on reverse and transfer to other lanes, which led to traffic woes at tollways.

Also, long lines of vehicles were observed as many motorists rushed to NLEX toll plazas to obtain the RFID stickers.

Due to this, the Valenzuela City local government suspended the business permit of NLEX Corporation, resulting in a toll holiday for motorists.

Representatives of Valenzuela City government and NLEX Corp. are set to meet at 10:30 a.m. on Monday to discuss the matter.

Valenzuela City Mayor Rex Gatchalian however on Sunday said the meeting would not automatically result in the lifting of the suspension of NLEX Corp.'s business permit. —KG, GMA News