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The Department of Transportation has deferred anew implementation of revised guidelines for contactless expressway toll collection
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The deferment to January 2025 from Oct 1, 2024 will allow toll operators to resolve “operational issues” such as replacement of old RFID tags
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The public will also have the chance to get used to the system
The Department of Transportation (DOTr) has deferred anew implementation of revised guidelines enforcing of contactless toll expressway collection to January 2025 from Oct 1.
The implementation of Joint Memorandum Circular (JMC) No. 2024-001 “is temporarily postponed to ensure it is in accordance with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to solve the traffic problem,” the Presidential Communications Office said in a statement.
JMC 2024-01 provides revised guidelines for all vehicles travelling on toll expressways to provide uniform rules and regulations for the enforcement of contactless toll collection in relation to Republic Act No. 2000 (Limited Highway Access Act) and its rules and regulations.
READ: TRB issues new guidelines on contactless toll collection
The JMC follows the issuance in 2020 of Department of Transportation (DOTr) Department Order (DO) No. 2020-12, mandating toll operators to implement cashless or contactless transaction in all expressways.
The JMC was signed by DOTr, the Toll Regulatory Board (TRB), and the Land Transportation Office (LTO) on August 1 and was originally to take effect on August 31 but was deferred to October 1 to give toll operators time to finetune expressway operations and further intensify the public information campaign to enable tollway users to comply with the new guidelines.
TRB executive director Alvin Carullo, in a Malacañang briefing on September 23, said the decision to defer implementation will allow toll operators to resolve “operational issues” such as replacement of old RFID tags
and for the public to “get used” to the contactless toll collection system.
A further deferment is a possibility if operational issues are still not resolved by January 2025, Carullo said
The JMC covers all types of vehicles, whether private, for hire, diplomatic or government, while entering and traveling on all toll expressways, except vehicles defined by laws as exempted from payment of toll fees (but nonetheless still required to install RFID sticker/electronic toll collection device), or those not allowed to enter toll expressways.
TRB in an earlier statement said one of the major purposes of JMC 2024-001 is to enforce the prohibitions/restrictions against motorists entering dedicated electronic toll collection (ETC) lanes with “No Valid ETC Device,” and with “No Sufficient Load.”
TRB said these erring motorists represent 9% of all the motorists using the toll expressways “who unfortunately are the ones causing the unnecessary delays and long queues at the toll plazas.”
“A vast majority of toll expressway users (91%) are compliant and responsible ETC users and are often greatly inconvenienced by the erring motorists,” TRB added.
TRB said implementation of the JMC will lead to smoother and faster flow of traffic at the toll plazas, thereby saving time, money and resources.
Under the JMC, entering a limited access highway without the required valid ETC device, including dilapidated ETC device, will be penalized as “No Valid ETC Device” with penalties as follows:
- First offense – P1,000
- Second offense – P2,000
- -Subsequent offenses – P5,000 per offense
Exiting the toll expressway with insufficient account balance to pay the required toll fee will be penalized as “Insufficient Load” with a penalty as follows:
- First offense – P500
- Second offense – P1,000
- Subsequent offenses – P2,500 per offense
In the event the owner/operator of the vehicle failed to provide the name of the driver-violator, the motor vehicle will be placed on alarm until such time the name is provided, and will be held liable to pay a fine of P2,000 per violation.
For public and road safety and security purposes, the use of fraudulent, tampered, or fake ETC device and E-card upon entry and exit on toll expressway will be penalized as “Fraudulent or Falsified ETC with a penalty as follows:
- First offense – P1,000
- Second offense – P2,000
- Subsequent offenses – P5,000 per offense
If the owner/operator/driver refuses to replace their ETC device or RFID sticker despite being notified to make such replacement, the driver’s licenses and the motor vehicle involved will be put on alarm until compliance.
If records from LTO show three instances of violations of whatever kind under the JMC have been committed within any 12-month period by the same motor vehicle or driver-violator, the motor vehicle may be put on alarm by the LTO, or the driver-violator’s driver’s license may be confiscated; or upon recommendation of the Law Enforcement Service and approval of the LTO assistant secretary, in his discretion, may suspend the Certificate of Registration for a period not exceeding 90 days and require immediate surrender of the license plate.
The penalties are exclusive of the required toll fee to be paid to the toll expressway concessionaires/operators.
