DOTr sees interoperability of Autosweep, Easytrip in June 2021

The interoperability of radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags for cashless payment in various expressways could be possible by June 2021, Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade said on Tuesday.

"We just got word from the Secretary that the interoperability is not going to be possible until June next year, the seamless interoperability. They're just beginning talks with the two concessionaires," Senator Grace Poe said during the plenary debates on the proposed P109 billion budget of the Department of Transportation.

Autosweep tags are issued by the San Miguel Corporation (SMC) for the Skyway, South Luzon expressway (SLEx), STAR Tollway, Tarlac–Pangasinan–La Union Expressway (TPLEx), Ninoy Aquino International Airport Expressway (NAIAx), and the Muntinlupa-Cavite Expressway (MCX).

Easytrip, on the other hand, is issued by the Metro Pacific Tollways Corporation (MPTC) to be used in the North Luzon Expressway (NLEx), Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEx), Cavite Expressway (CAVITEx), C5 Southlink, and Cavite-Laguna Expressway (CALAX).

During the same session, Senator Nancy Binay raised the question on whether motorists without radio-frequency identification (RFID) would be penalized starting December 1 as previously announced.

"I asked them about the penalty. According to them, they will not impose a penalty... There will be a penalty but hindi raw sila mag-iimplement ngayong Pasko," Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri said after conferring with DOTr officials present in the session hall.

Booths for cash payments should not be totally eliminated too by toll road operators, Binay underscored.

“Just to add, when I travel abroad, there’s always a booth for cash transactions for those renting a car. The concept of totally cashless, I haven’t seen that in other countries,” she said.

The cashless toll collection scheme is pursuant to the DOTr's Department Order No. (DO) 2020-012.

The DOTr has previously explained that the Toll Interoperability Project has three phases, of which the implementation of 100% cashless and contactless toll payments form phase one.

Under phase 2, motorists would have to use 2 RFID wallets  which will make a single RFID sticker readable by sensors at different toll roads. Each wallet will contain the ‘load’ for payments at specific toll plazas.

Phase 3 involves the use of just one RFID sticker for all toll expressways, and maintain only one wallet for toll payments.

A lawmaker in the House of Representatives has urged the DOTr to postpone the implementation of this scheme until the RFID system of the two toll operators are interoperable but the agency rejected the call, saying it is "duty-bound to protect the health and safety of public transport passengers and stakeholders" amid the pandemic.—LDF, GMA News