As someone who studied, worked, and had lived south of Metro Manila, I was an early adopter of the ePass. Long before RFID (Radio-Frequency IDentification) became an “in” thing for motorists who frequently use the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX), the ePass is a reloadable gadget that will enable your vehicle to zoom your exit on tollways using dedicated booths. I remember purchasing the ePass at Shell Magallanes for around PHP3,000 a few years back.
Fast forward, the company managing the SLEX began offering RFID for FREE to replace the ePass. I thought it was a good idea, but then again, it was not. In the early days of RFID adoption at both SLEX and NLEX, they were plagued with complaints with toll exit booths unable to read the RFIDs installed on their windshields and headlamps. And the expressways RFID woes did not stop there.
If you are someone who travels quite often to north and south of Metro Manila, you need to have at least two (02) separate RFIDs — one for each operator of the expressways. Then came 15 September 2017 when a Memorandum of Agreement was signed between the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and the tollway operators for the interoperability of toll collection systems. I was there to witness the MOA signing.
Fast forward, again, to 2020 — some three (03) years after the MOA was signed by the government and the tollway operators, it seems that the toll collection interoperability is still farfetched. I hardly drive since late last year (I’m a fan of TNVS and I commute going south/north of NCR before the pandemic), and based on accounts of friends, the only thing that is interoperable between the different expressways here in Luzon is the fact that you are now able to use a single RFID. But take note, even if you are using a single RFID (chip), the “load wallet” used by the different tollway operators are separate from each other.
For example, if you will be going on a trip to Pampanga and will take the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX), you will need to top-up prepaid credits for your Easytrip wallet. For trips down south of NCR, say to Batangas, you will need to have prepaid credits available to your AutoSweep wallet. Why? Because the two (02) tollways are operated by different companies.
“Phase 1 is ongoing. As of May 2020, there are now more than 700,000 Autosweep RFID tags that are qualified for registration. Secretary Tugade enjoined our toll operators to fast-track the needed measures to fully implement the program. We got the renewed commitment of our stakeholders on the matter (please look at the quotes from RSA, Rod Franco and Noel Kintanar) especially now that the government is pushing for the implementation of contactless and cashless transactions, which we believe will help prevent the spread of COVID-19,” according to DOTr Assistant Secretary for Communications and Commuter Affairs Goddess Hope Libiran when asked by members of the press about updates on the toll collection systems interoperability.
What’s your take on this issue? We would love to hear from you, dear readers. Appreciate it if you could please leave a comment regarding this long-overdue matter.