Cheers, drivers! Fines for RFID noncompliance moved to Jan 2025

Motorists have their RFID installed at the Balintawak Toll Plaza Customer Service Center parking area as the DOTr mandates vehicles plying the expressways to install RFID to promote contactless payment. (File photo from INQUIRER/GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE)

MANILA, Philippines — The imposition of fines against motorists entering toll highways without radio frequency identification (RFID) tags has been moved to January 2025, said the Department of Transportation (DOTr) on Monday.

“We are extending to January next year, the implementation of the penalties — not the whole program of cashless expressways — under the joint memorandum circular 2024-001,” said Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista in a Palace briefing.

According to Bautista, the DOTr is still “collating inputs” through consultation meetings with various tollway stakeholders, including information and the profile of violators.

“This information will be used to make any amendments to the joint memorandum circular,” he added.

READ: Fines await those without RFID, with insufficient load by Aug. 31

Bautista reiterated the government’s commitment to achieve “convenient and traffic-less travels at all expressways using cashless toll exits.”

Initially, the imposition of the fines was supposed to be implemented on Aug. 31 but was then moved to Oct. 1.

READ: DOTr asked to again delay start of new RFID guidelines

Meanwhile, Toll Regulatory Board (TRB) Alvin Carullo said the fines would not be imposed until the electronic toll collection system had been cleared of bugs.

This means the January 2025 schedule may still be further moved.

“We may still further defer it,” Carullo said in Filipino in the same briefing.