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San Miguel Corporation (SMC) President Ramon S. Ang appealed to the Department of Transportation (DOTr) to extend tomorrow’s deadline (December 1) for cashless transactions until February for the sake of struggling motorists. for obtaining radio frequency identification (RFID) tags.
“Given the surge in last minute applications that we are seeing, we don’t think we can cater to all of them. A large number of motorists will not reach the deadline of December 1, “he warned this Sunday.
Despite the company implementing additional measures to speed up adhesive installation, including opening an additional 100 adhesive installation sites and rolling out 24-hour installation at major locations, the volume was simply too much.
All lanes on the toll plazas of the SMC, Southern Tagalog Arterial Road (STAR), Southern Luxon Expressway (SLEX), Skyway System, NAIA Expressway and Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway (TPLEX), are ready and fully equipped for the shift. 100% electronic toll collection tomorrow (Dec 1), Ang stated.
However, it is the large number of motorists who have not yet secured their RFID stickers that must be duly taken into account, he stressed.
“I have been monitoring the situation. We only have one day left and yet our decal installation sites are still standing in long lines, especially this weekend, ”Ang explained.
“My honest opinion is that we will really need at least until February,” reiterated the president of SMC. “And that is what we are asking the government. To allow us to hold even a few lines of cash until February. “
“Most of the lanes in the toll plazas can be ETC, because anyway, the toll operators have fulfilled and equipped all the lanes for cashless transactions,” he proposed.
“We can then assign some lanes to remain rigorous and at least one lane for cash payments.
This is in case traffic piles up due to long lines in sticky lanes.
Some motorists can still choose to pay cash and simply install their decal on their next trip, ”he added.
The government’s decision to extend the deadline, originally set for November 2 to December 1, and its subsequent decision not to fully enforce the sanctions until after January 11, was “the right decision.”
However, the surge in requests from non-regular highway users trying to exceed the December deadline is one of the main reasons why lines remain long at sticker installation sites along with strict distancing protocols.
“As DOTr itself said, there really is no need to panic if you are not a regular highway user. Even with the rollout scheduled for December 1, drivers without decals will not be detained. In addition, tolling will continue at toll plazas and installation sites. In fact, these will continue even after January ”, he emphasized.
“But since many motorists still want to get their decals as soon as possible, I think we can still accommodate them,” he noted.
“For those who can’t get theirs, I think we won’t lose anything if we give them some consideration. We hope that the government will study this option carefully. At the end of the day, we’ll do what they say, ”Ang concluded.
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