Where to get your RFID stickers ahead of the cashless toll collection dry run on Sept. 1

A new month and yet another attempt at transitioning motorists to cashless toll collection.

The Toll Regulatory Board (TRB), which is the government agency that oversees the operations of the country’s largely privatized expressways, announced that it will start its two-month dry run for contactless toll payments on Sept. 1, 2023.

The TRB said only selected toll plazas and exits will participate. These include:

North Luzon Expressway (NLEX)

• Ciudad de Victoria Northbound

• Ciuded de Victoria Southbound

• Sta. Rita Northbound

• Pulilan Northbound

• Pulilan Southbound

• San Simon Northbound

• Mexico

• Dau Southbound

Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expresway (SCTEX)

• Dolores

• SFEX

Cavite-Laguna Expressway (CALAX)

• Technopark Toll Plaza 

• Laguna Boulevard A Toll Plaza

Manila-Cavite Toll Expressway C-5 South Link (C-5 Link)

• Taguig Toll Plaza

• Merville Toll Plaza

NAIA Expressway (NAIAX)

• NAIA Main Alpha

South Metro Manila Skyway Stages 1 and 2

• Nichols Entry

• Nichols Exit

Metro Manila Skyway Stage 3

• Del Monte Northbound Alpha

South Luzon Expressway (SLEX)

• Mamplasan Norhtbound

• Silangan Southbound

Southern Tagalog Arterial Road (STAR) Tollway

• Tanauan Northbound Entry

Muntinlupa-Cavite Expressway (MCX)

Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway (TPLEX)

• Rosario Toll Plaza

The TRB said motorists who enter the aforementioned exits and plazas without RFID stickers “shall be directed to a safe place/location where he [or she] can pay the toll fees in cash, and shall be persuaded to have an RFID sticker installed.”

Which RFID should I get?

Although the TRB’s mode of persuasion was not indicated, having an RFID sticker installed beforehand would provide considerably less hassle on your trips. 

The Philippines, as of press time, has two contactless toll payment systems – Easytrip and Autosweep. 

Easytrip is for expressways managed by the Metro Pacific Tollways Corporation (MPTC) operated by billionaire Manuel Pangilinan. Meanwhile, Autosweep is for toll roads handled by San Miguel Corporation (SMC) Infrastructure, which is headed by fellow tycoon Ramon Ang.

These are used in the following expressways:

RFID installation stations

Both Easytrip and Autosweep RFID stickers can be procured for free, but require a minimum load to activate.

All you need to do is fill out a subscription form and bring your vehicle with plate number/conduction sticker, Certificate of Registration, and Official Receipt.

The stickers are normally attached to untinted portions of the windshield or on the headlights. These also include cards that can be tapped onto sensor boxes in case the sticker cannot be read by the overhead sensor.

Given this, here are places where you can get your RFID stickers installed.

Easytrip

• NLEX-SCTEX Northbound

  • Balintawak Customer Service Center – Daily, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

  • Balintawak AOVP Station – Daily, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

  • Mindanao Customer Service Center – Daily, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

  • Shell Balagtas – Daily, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

  • SEAOIL SCTEX – Daily, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

  • Petron Marilao – Monday to Saturday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

  • Petron Lakeshore – Monday to Saturday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

  • San Fernando Customer Service Center – Monday to Saturday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

• NLEX-SCTEX Southbound

  • NLEX Drive & Dine – Daily, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

  • Angeles Southbound – Daily, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

  • Tabang Customer Service Center – Monday to Saturday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

  • Petron Balagtas – Monday to Saturday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

  • Total SFEX Southbound – Tuesday to Sunday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

  • NLEX Connector C-3 Ramp – Daily, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

  • Espana Toll Barrier – Open 24/7

• CALAX

  • Sta. Rosa – Daily, 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.

  • Greenfield (Mamplasan) Customer Service Center – Daily, 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.

  • Mamplasan Rotonda – Friday to Sunday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

  • Silang East Exit – Friday to Sunday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

• CAVITEX C-5 Link

  • CAVITEX C-5 Link Customer Service Center – Daily, 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.

  • Merville Entry – Daily, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

  • Taguig Entry – Daily, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

• CAVITEX

  • Longos Bacoor – Daily, 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.

  • CAVITEX Customer Service Center (Cavite-bound) – Daily, 5 a.m. to 12 midnight

  • CAVITEX Customer Service Center (Manila-bound) – Daily, 5 a.m. to 12 midnight

  • Kawit – Daily, 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.

  • Kawit Toll Plaza Northbound and Southbound (RFID Replacement only) – Daily, 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.

  • Paranaque Toll Plaza Northbound and Southbound (RFID Replacement only) – Daily, 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Autosweep (Open 24/7)

• Skyway

  • C-5 Customer Service Center

  • Runway Plaza Toll Gate

• Skyway Stage 3

  • Del Monte Northbound Plaza A

  • Del Monte Northbound Plaza B

  • Del Monte Southbound Plaza A

  • Del Monte Southbound Plaza B

  • Nagtahan Northbound/Southbound Exit Toll Plaza

  • Plaza Dilao Southbound Entry Plaza

  • Quezon Avenue Northbound Exit Plaza

  • Quezon Avenue Southbound Entry Plaza

• SLEX

  • Calamba Customer Service Center

  • Sta. Rosa Northbound

  • Sta. Rosa Southbound

  • Southwoods Northbound

  • SLEX Greenfields

• STAR Tollway

  • STAR Toll Lipa Customer Service Center

• TPLEX

  • TPLEX RFID Customer Service Center

Years in the making

Although cashless toll collection has long been part of our expressways (remember those giant plastic boxes back in the day), the Department of Transportation (DOTr) mandated it in 2020 after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, cash lanes were reintroduced following failures in the electronic toll collection systems. The delayed implementation of the DOTr’s Toll Interoperability Project has also been a factor in the resistance to getting RFID stickers.

The project began in 2017 after SMC, MPTC, the DOTr and other public and private companies signed a memorandum of agreement.

Phase 1 involves ensuring that Autosweep RFIDs can be read at expressways that use Easytrip using two accounts. Meanwhile, Phase 2 requires that Easytrip RFIDs can be read at expressways that use Autosweep using two accounts, but one sticker.

The final phase involves using one RFID sticker and one account for all expressways.

Congress has urged DOTr to fast-track the implementation of the project, which had remained at Phase 1 for many years.

The TRB told the House of Representatives on February 2023 that it will fully implement toll collection interoperability by January 2024.

Do you think the Philippines should transition to a fully cashless toll collection system?

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