DOTr moves new tollway guideline implementation to Oct. 1

The Department of Transportation (DOTr) deferred the implementation of the revised guidelines on tollways to October 1.

In a statement, the Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista said that the moving of the enactment of the updated guidelines — which was previously set on August 31 — was designed to aid toll operators and concerned agencies to “finetune expressway operations” and boost their information campaigns to “enable tollway users to comply with the new guidelines.”

The updated guidelines were part of the Joint Memorandum Circular (JMC) 2024-01 of the DOTr, Land Transportation Office, and the Toll Regulatory Board. It was signed by Bautista, Assistant Secretary Vigor Mendoza II, and Executive Director Alvin Carullo last August 1.

Under the aforementioned JMC, the motorists may be slapped with penalties for lack of installed electronic toll collection (ETC) device or insufficient load balance. It also strengthens LTO’s deputization of enforcers of the two groups of tollway operators.

“These revised guidelines should significantly improve traffic along expressways through cashless or contactless toll plazas,” Bautista said.

In 2021, TRB moved closer to cashless expressways by designating only one exit lane for cash transactions at toll plazas (all other lanes for ETC).

Further, the statement said that the transport chief is “soliciting the support of tollway users by complying with provisions of the JMC that covers expressways under TRB’s jurisdiction.”

Also read:

Motorists to soon face penalties for no ETC device, insufficient load

Cashless toll collection dry run to start next month