The Department of Transportation (DOTr) remain firm in the implementation of the contactless toll payment scheme this year.
In a statement, DOTr said cashless payment system has been a long overdue measure, in line with the government’s inter-agency campaign to help reduce the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
“The primary purpose of Department Order No. (DO) 2020-012 requiring cashless or contacless transaction for all vehicles traveling on toll expressways is to prevent COVID-19 transmission, which is a matter of extreme importance. Interoperability will merely provide added convenience to motorists who no longer need to install two (2) RFID tags. Thus, implementation of the cashless program should not wait for interoperability of the toll systems,” the Department stated.
“Any delay in its implementation amid the COVID-19 pandemic will only make motorists, as well as the personnel manning the toll plazas, vulnerable to unwanted and unnecessary physical contact, and hence, exposure to the deadly coronavirus,” it added.
DOTr stressed that with the issue of interoperability aside, the extension of the deadline for the implementation of cashless toll collections on toll roads to December 1 will provide motorists using the expressways ample time to have their vehicles equipped with the needed RFID stickers from the toll operators.
Moreover, DOTr said the issue of limited RFID installation sites will not be solved with the deferment of the cashless program but for toll operators to increase the number of installation booths and manpower along strategic places.