Senate Committee on Public Services Chairperson Raffy Tulfo expressed concern following complaints about the longstanding problem of faulty RFID system, which is causing traffic jams in several expressways.
Currently, many RFID tags were not being read by the scanners due to reader malfunction or poor tag placement. In effect, the barriers in tollway entry points do not lift up and lead to car congestion.
To address these issues, Tulfo called Atty. Alvin Carullo, Executive Director of Toll Regulatory Board (TRB) and proposed that once the RFID reader starts to malfunction with 3 vehicles queuing up already, the toll expressway operators must lift up barriers in tollway entry points and make tolls free of charge until the issue is fixed.
“Once the RFID reader starts to malfunction with 3 vehicles queuing up already, the toll expressway operators must lift up barriers in tollway entry points and make tolls free of charge until the issue is fixed.”
The legislator also urged TRB to start implementing a barrier-less system in the country’s expressways – to which Carullo promised to discuss with TRB board for immediate action.
Adding burden to the riding public, the lawmaker told Carullo, are instances wherein motorists are unable to enter tollway barriers due to zero balance despite loading up their account with enough amount. To pass through, they will be forced to reload their RFIDs for the second time, but would have to wait 48 hours or more for operators to refund the balance that did not reflect in their account.
“Impose hefty fines and penalties against toll operators every time they commit a violation and inconvenience like this to motorists.”
As such, the senator urged TRB to impose hefty fines and penalty against toll operators every time they commit a violation and inconvenience like this to motorists.
He added that operators must be required to refund them within 24 hours.
Tulfo reminded that TRB must solve the recurring RFID issues by the October 2024 deadline as promised by Carullo to him via call, stressing that motorists are paying expensive fees to save time and avoid any hassle and not the other way around.
He filed Senate Resolution (SR) No. 1060 last July 2, to investigate the lapses of TRB and toll expressway operators, to hold them accountable.
Tulfo is set to conduct a hearing about this after the Senate recess.
