MANILA - The Department of Transportation urged toll operators to increase RFID sites and speed up sticker installation in vehicles as the December 1 cashless toll system deadline nears.

“The solution is not to defer the cashless program, but for toll operators to increase the number of installation booths and manpower along strategic places,” the agency said.

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The DOTr moved to December 1 from November 2 the enforcement of mandatory cashless toll transactions to give motorists more time to install RFID stickers and avoid traffic congestion in toll plazas.

The DOTr also said "interoperability" of the RFID tags should not postpone the implementation of cashless toll systems.

“Any delay in its implementation amid the COVID-19 pandemic will only make motorists, as well as the personnel manning the toll plazas, vulnerable to unwanted and unnecessary physical contact, and hence, exposure to the deadly coronavirus,” it said.

The North Luzon and South Luzon expressways have two different operators.

DOTr said the shift to a cashless toll collection system is part of its Toll Interoperability Project.

“Currently, the DOTr, through the Toll Regulatory Board (TRB), continues to engage with and coordinate with private toll operators to thresh out issues, undertake the necessary operational measures, and present solutions, in order to fully realize the interoperability project,” the agency said.

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