Image: Courtesy of the Metro Pacific Tollways Corporation
MANILA, Philippines — The Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. (MPTC) has cited system lag for the reported toll collection discrepancies affecting motorists using Easytrip RFID on its superhighways, including the North Luzon Expressway (NLEx).
According to MPTC chief communications officer Romulo Quimbo, the system used by Easytrip — MPTC’s partner in providing radio frequency identification (RFID) cashless toll collections — experiences some lag in the transfer of information that the RFID secures from one toll booth to another. Hence, by default, the system collects payment based on the rate of the farthest toll exit and vehicle class.
But he also said motorists can be assured that the system has an autocorrect mechanism that will eventually apply the appropriate toll rate after exiting the expressway.
“That’s just a default situation. In other words, it does not reflect immediately in your account […] But when you exit, when it is deducted already, you sort of get shocked bakit ang laki ng bawas eh San Fernando lang ako,” Quimbo told INQUIRER.net in a phone interview.
“There is an auto-correct process naman in the system, sometimes it takes less than an hour, auto-correction naman ‘yon,” he added.
Motorists took to social media their complaints about instances when they got charged excessively via RFID lanes.
Some said they were charged P192 for a supposed P30 toll for Class 1 vehicles from exits near Bocaue to the Bocaue Toll Plaza. The P192 fee is the toll rate for Sta. Ines exit — the farthest point in the NLEx system.
While Quimbo acknowledged that such incidents happen sometimes, he also assured that the autocorrect system would fix these issues during “backroom processing.”
“There is a little time lag naman doon sa entry information by the time you are detected exactly — for example in San Fernando — by the time you reach Bocaue let’s say less than an hour later, there’s a very short time lag,” he explained.
“But the system always takes into account sa backroom processing, to correct if any, information na mali doon sa nababasa mo. What usually happens if the entry information in San Fernando is not transmitted to Bocaue immediately within a few seconds, then the San Fernando default scanner will charge you the farthest distance as if you came from Mabalacat or Dau, ‘yong pinaka-malayo,” he added.
Still, he advised doubting motorists to use the Easytrip smartphone applications to double-check RFID activities and load balance, or to contact Easytrip for further questions.
“So the best way is still to check your balance later on in the app. We have some glitches in the app lately but we’re already up and about, or to call kung meron pang balance,” Quimbo said.
“But we advise, don’t react right away if you see the remaining balance at the toll fee in Bocaue, don’t be shocked bakit ang laki ng bawas. Ano lang ‘yon, na-delay lang ‘yong entry information mo,” he also said.
Since the Department of Transportation (DOTr) announced the implementation of cashless RFID systems in the country’s tollways — to avoid direct contact that may contribute to COVID-19 transmissions — motorists rushed to secure RFID stickers.
READ: FAQ: What is an RFID and how does it work on tollways?
Enforcement of cashless tollways transactions was initially set to start on November 2. However, the DOTr decided to delay it to December 1 as many motorists are still scrambling to get RFID tags.