DOTr defers 'No RFID, insufficient load' penalties to 2025

Last August 2024, the Toll Regulatory Board (TRB) announced that starting August 31, motorists with no RFID or insufficient load on their RFID accounts when using expressways will be penalized under the Joint Memorandum Circular (JMC) 2024-001.

Motorists who will enter expressways with no valid RFID will be fined PHP 1,000 for the first offense while those exiting expressways with insufficient load will be slapped with a PHP 500 fine for the first offense. With the TRB stating that 9% of tollway users are the ones causing the unnecessary delays and long queues at toll plazas, the new JMC will allow for a smoother and faster flow of traffic at toll plazas.

Just before September 2024 rolled around, however, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) announced that they had deferred the implementation of JMC 2024-001 to October 1, 2024. The agency hopes that with the 30-day deferment, concerned agencies and tollway operators would be able to fine-tune their systems and operations, as well as notify the public to comply with the new tollway guidelines.

Fast forward near the end of September, and the implementation of the new RFID regulations has been pushed back to 2025. The DOTr officially confirmed this over the weekend via the Presidential Communications Office (PCO).

According to the PCO, the decision to postpone the implementation of penalties under JMC 2024-001 was made to ensure it would be consistent with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s intent to solve the traffic problem.

With JMC 2024-001 postponed until 2025, motorists entering expressways will not yet be fined for not having RFID or having insufficient load when exiting toll roads. This will also allow expressway operators to tweak their systems further to allow for faster and smoother traffic flow at toll plazas. Moreover, motorists who have yet to get an RFID will have more time to get one for their vehicles.