Rep. Asistio: No start date yet for unified, cashless toll system five years since launch

There is no start date yet for the implementation of Phase 3 or the final phase of the government's Toll Interoperability Project, wherein motorists will only need one RFID sticker and one RFID wallet for cashless payment when using expressways regardless of operator, a lawmaker said Thursday.

Caloocan Representative Dean Asistio, vice chairperson of the House transportation committee, made the announcement after the committee hearing on the progress of the project.

“The concessionaires and toll operators said this (Toll Interoperability Project) was delayed due to the pandemic and by January 2023, they will start with Phase 2. Unfortunately, they were not able to give a commitment on when we can start the one RFID, one RFID wallet system or Phase 3,” Asistio told reporters.

Phase 2 is having one sticker and two RFID load wallets.

Asistio, however, said that the panel was assured that the timeline for Phase 3 implementation would not be further delayed.

“They said that by February 2023, they will submit to this committee the timeline on when they can start the implementation of Phase 3. We greatly rely on these tolls for the delivery of goods, especially perishable ones,” he said.

“We really have to have one RFID sticker and one RFID load wallet because with different operators of tollways, motorists get confused which load wallet card to use or transfer money to. Based on the memorandum of agreement (MOA) they signed back in 2017, the unified RFID system is long overdue,” Asistio added.

The said MOA — signed by the Department of Transportation, the Department of Public Works and Highways, Land Transportation Office, Toll Regulatory Board, San Miguel Group, Metro Pacific Group and the Ayala Group — mandates toll road companies to make adjustments in their systems to enable interoperability and integrated toll collection.

Concessionaires and toll operators which sent representatives during the inquiry include: San Miguel Corporation for SMC Tollways/SLEX, Metro Pacific for NLEX, and MCX Tollway Inc.

Asistio said that aside from the pandemic, another factor that delayed the implementation of the projects based on toll operators' accounts is the inability of scanners to read RFID stickers initially made by different suppliers.

“Initially, the concessionaires tapped different brands, different suppliers, so there were times when a certain RFID sticker could not be read by the scanner. But they already decided that they will only use one brand of sticker for that,” he said.

“They should really fast-track this because they already have flexible terms given that they got the contract based on a MOA,” he added. —KBK, GMA Integrated News