MANILA -- Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Arthur Tugade has directed the Toll Regulatory Board (TRB) to scrap the new Skyway toll payment scheme which drew flak from motorists due to the heavy traffic it has caused.
Tugade said the new toll collection system must not be put in place until it could be assured that it is implemented smoothly.
This after the Skyway management has reverted to its old “pay as you enter” scheme effective Tuesday night.
“These changes have to be communicated well to the public. We cannot afford confusion on the road because that will surely result in congestion. Dapat mas mabilis ang biyahe sa mga expressway kaya nga 'express'. Ang mga karagdagang toll plaza, dapat nagpapabilis din ng biyahe, and not the other way around (Travel in the expressway should be faster that’s why it’s called 'express'. The additional toll plaza should ease travel and not the other way around),” Tugade said in a statement Wednesday.
“In governance, public convenience always comes first. It’s always public good over regulation,” he added.
The old toll payment scheme is applicable for private vehicles coming from Alabang, Sucat, and Bicutan.
Only Class 2 vehicles, such as buses and delivery vans, will be required to utilize the Runway Toll Plaza for cash payments.
Skyway operator O&M Corporation has apologized for any inconvenience caused by the new system and appealed for understanding from the public.
Last January 27, a modified toll collection system has been implemented alongside with the opening of the new toll plaza on the northbound section of the elevated Skyway.
Under the new payment scheme, motorists should stop at two toll booths - the payment booth and the new toll booth where they will surrender their payment slips.
The Skyway management said the new runway toll plaza was intended to facilitate faster toll collection and handle increased traffic volume.
TRB facilitates implementation of unified toll collection system
The TRB is committed to ensure the implementation of the partial toll interoperability system in the country which is aimed at promoting ease of travel along expressways within this year.
Under partial toll interoperability, Autosweep Radiofrequency Identification (RFID) users may use their RFID tags in expressways operated by the Manila North Tollways Corporation (MNTC) namely North Luzon Expressway (NLEX), Cavite Expressway (CAVITEX), Cavite-Laguna Expressway (CALAX) and Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX) using Easytrip RFID tags. Users would just need to visit a loading kiosk for account registration.
For expressways owned by San Miguel Corporation (SMC) namely South Luzon Expressway (SLEX), Southern Tagalog Arterial Road (STAR), Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway (TPLEX), and NAIA Expressway (NAIA-X), Autosweep readers are undergoing modification to enable reading of Easytrip tags as well and are expected to be interoperable ready by first quarter of 2018.
TRB is currently coordinating with SMC’s software provider for the reprogramming of their system and implementation.
The second phase of the interoperability project will be implemented in March 2018. Under this phase, SMC-operated expressways will be able to read Easytrip RFID tags. However, users will still have to maintain two accounts.
The third phase which is set to be implemented by September 2018 will enable all expressway users to go from North to South with just one account. (PNA)