Cebu-Cordova expressway to go cashless, says exec

The Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway (CCLEX) connects mainland Cebu to Mactan Island. (DALE ISRAEL/INQUIRER VISAYAS)

CEBU CITY—The Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway (CCLEX) will go cashless in about two months from now.

“At this time we still continue to convince and encourage our motorists that we should already maximize the registration of our RFID (radio frequency identification),” said CCLEX corporation president and general manager Allan Alfon in a media briefing Wednesday.

“In terms of timeline, what I can say is probably in a few months, a month or two, then we will go cashless,” he added.

CCLEX is an iconic tollway bridge connecting Cebu City to Mactan Island.

At present, there are already 90,000 registered vehicles for the CCLEX’s RFID.

The CCLEX also launched the MPT DriveHub mobile application which is also being used within various tollways of Metro-Pacific Tollways Corporation in Luzon.

Initially, the MPT DriveHub App in Cebu will allow motorists to check their RFID balance as well as determine the toll matrix or prices. The app will also have a hotline during emergencies.

MPT Mobility Assistant Vice President for Business Development Donald Saurombre said there wouldl be additional features of the app in a few months, including insurance, road assistance, parking access, e-wallet services, Electric Vehicle charging, and motorist marketplace for online purchases.

Saurombre emphasized the need for motorists to go cashless for the app to be fully effective in addressing their needs and in using the tollways.

“What the MPT Drivehub app will do is to make it easier to implement the cashless transactions. We want it convenient for Cebuanos to be able to reload and for checking balances aside from services that we will be adding,” he explained.

Meanwhile, Alfon said that pedestrian and bicycle access to the CCLEX would begin in August.

But the CCLEX general manager said they might implement one way access for pedestrians and cyclists—which means that once they enter the bridge, they will have to finish the entire 8.9 kilometers.

For example, if one enters the CCLEX from Cebu City just for a photo opportunity, they would have to exit in Mactan and not turn around and go back to Cebu City.

Alfon said this is done for safety reasons.

The CCLEX, commonly known in Cebu as the third bridge, has become a favorite selfie and photo spot. Some vehicles, although disallowed, stop at the middle of the tollway for photos.

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