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The Department of Transportation deferred the implementation of revised guidelines enforcing contactless toll collection at all expressways to October 1 from August 31
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Transport Secretary Jaime Bautista said he hopes concerned agencies and tollway operators would use the 30-day deferment to finetune expressway operations
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Joint Memorandum Circular No. 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
The Department of Transportation (DOTr) has deferred for 30 days the implementation of revised guidelines enforcing contactless toll collection at all expressways from August 31 to October 1.
“We hope the concerned agencies and tollway operators would use the 30-day deferment to finetune expressway operations and further intensify the public information campaign to enable tollway users to comply with the new guidelines,” Transport Secretary Jaime Bautista said in a statement.
Joint Memorandum Circular (JMC) No. 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. The JMC also 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.
“These revised guidelines should significantly improve traffic along expressways through cashless or contactless toll plazas,” Bautista said.
Bautista is also soliciting the support of tollway users by complying with provisions of the JMC that covers expressways under TRB’s jurisdiction, DOTr 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 a 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.
As a policy output/goal, with the said restrictions and/or prohibitions, and the corresponding fines and penalties for violation thereof, TRB said the implementation of the JMC intends to achieve a 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 put on alarm until such time that 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
In the event that 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 shows 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, thereupon, require the immediate surrender of the license plate.
The penalties are exclusive of the required toll fee to be paid to the toll expressway concessionaires/operators.
TRB said it will be issuing subsequent advisories on the JMC to discuss the details of the other provisions thereof, such as the responsibilities of the toll expressway concessionaires/operators, RFID service providers, the toll expressway users, LTO, and the TRB; as well as its salient provisions.
The toll expressway concessionaires/operators and the LTO will also conduct an information campaign pertaining to the JMC.
Meantime, the public may inform TRB of their suggestions and/or clarifications and the board said it will respond “as soon as possible.”
