Attention, motorists! Easytrip labels will no longer be available from October 1

Motorists have their RFID installed in the Balintawak Toll Plaza Customer Service Center parking area on Thursday, August 27, as the DOTr forces vehicles traveling on the highway to install RFID to promote contactless payment for reduce the risk of exposure to the coronavirus.- INQUIRER / GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE

MANILA, Philippines – Easytrip tags used by motorists on the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) and the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEx) will no longer be available starting Thursday, October 1, Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. (MPTC)) recalled Wednesday.

MPTC communications director Rómulo Quimbo advised motorists passing through the toll gates of these two major highways to switch to radio frequency identification (RFID) stickers. This complies with the order of the Department of Transportation for the management of all toll roads nationwide to adopt an RFID system by November 2 in an attempt to help minimize the transmission of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19). .

MPTC manages NLEX, SCTEx, Cavite Expressway (Cavitex), Harbor Link and Cala Expressway. However, only NLEX and SCTEx still accept the use of Easytrip tags to date, as other highways managed by the corporation have already switched to RFID.

Easytrip devices are dedicated short range communication (DSRC) devices that people use for cashless transactions prior to RFID. In 2005, the MPTC released Easytrip Services Corporation’s DSRC device, which is quite similar to RFID tags, except that it is battery powered and can be transferred from one car to another.

Quimbo said that the MPTC has decided to phase out the old Easytrip labels because its battery cannot be replaced once it runs out, which means that the device will no longer be useful at that point. Over time, the batteries also weaken and the device becomes difficult to detect.

“But most importantly, the label only works in the north. You can’t use that in the south. They cannot be integrated ”, he explained previously.

So how can motorists exchange their Easytrip tags for RFID tags?

According to Quimbo, the process of changing Easytrip devices to RFID is “like getting any RFID tag.”

“I will encourage you to call your Easytrip numbers, contact Easytrip immediately, or visit the decal installation centers. Identify. Let’s say they want to have the decal installed so that the account can be transferred from the device to the decal, ”he told INQUIRER.net in an interview Wednesday.

“It is a matter of confirming the account that is in the naman database in the system and they will simply say that they will deactivate your DSRC account. They will give you a sticker. They will be the ones to hold it in the installation center, ”he added.

The process, Quimbo said, will only take a few minutes.

You can contact Easytrip through their hotline number at 8555-7575.

RFIDs are available at gas stations along the MPTC highways. Several booths have also been installed near the toll plazas to accommodate motorists.

READ: FAQ: What is RFID and how does it work on toll roads?

A list of RFID application points for highways administered by MPTC and San Miguel Corp. Tollways can be viewed at this link from the Toll Regulatory Board.

The RFID tag will be installed by MPTC for free. Motorists will only have to identify themselves and the license plate number of their vehicle to open an account. You will also have to pay P500 for the initial charge.

Quimbo said drivers who want to deactivate their Easytrip tags don’t have to hand over the devices to installation centers.

He also recommended that they ensure that the charge from the devices is transferred to their RFID accounts.

“The charge itself does not expire. He’s still there. So it’s just a matter of transferring it, ”he added.

But what if, by October 1, you haven’t yet transferred your account from Easytrip to RFID?

“In case you haven’t converted yet, then the teller will have to say, ‘Boss, change, there’s a sticker there.’ In other words, we adapt to that, ”Quimbo said.

(If they haven’t converted their account yet, then the toll booth will have to tell them, “Boss, you have to change your account, there’s a sticker there.” In other words, they’ll still be housed.)

He said that users of the Easytrip tags were already contacted months before the removal so that they can request the RFID tags. However, not all calls were successful, as some drivers changed their number or could not be reached. He said they have already contacted about 117,000 motorists on the issue.

READ: MPTC, SMC Tollways working to make their RFID stickers compatible

/ MUF

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