Next for DoTR: Common toll pay system for 13 expressways

Motorists going north or south from Metro Manila and vice versa may soon enjoy a smoother journey with the setup of a common toll payment system that will be implemented in over a dozen expressways in Luzon.

The Department of Transportation (DoTr), Department of Public Works and Highways, and Bases Conversion and Development Authority are signing a memorandum of agreement today with expressway operators to unify toll collection.

Under a unified collection, a motorist traveling from the capital to Baguio City, for example, will get an entry ticket at Northern Luzon Expressway and pay when he exits the Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway.

The MOA for Toll Interoperability will be signed by 17 companies operating the 13 expressways in Luzon, whether operational or undergoing construction, to smoothly and fairly implement interoperability of their respective Cash Payment and Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) systems, the DOTr said in a statement.

Under the MOA, expressway operators will be required to update their collection systems to allow interoperability and integration.

The payment collection shall be enforced six months from the signing of the MOA.

The parties will also explore the use of debit cards under the same system.