If you're one of the many motorists who just arrived in Metro Manila after spending the long Holy Week break in the provinces south of Alabang, then you've made the trip just in time as the toll rates for the Skyway will go up shortly after midnight on April 26.
At 12:01 am on Tuesday, fee for the elevated section of the Skyway for Class 1 vehicles from Makati to Sucat and Makati to Alabang will be P106 and P147, respectively. Only the stretch from Makati to Bicutan will experience a rollback as the new toll fee will cost P65, or P20 lower than its present toll rate of Php85.
For the at-grade section, Class 1 toll fees as approved by the Toll Regulatory Board (TRB) are P44 for Magallanes or C-5 to Merville or Bicutan, P75 from Magallanes or C-5 to Sucat, and P106 from Magallanes or C-5 to Alabang.
Although the TRB has approved the implementation of the new toll rates by today, April 25, the Metro Manila Skyway System's concessionaire, Citra Metro Manila Tollways Corp. (CMMTC), reportedly chose to implement it a day later for the sake of motorists who are coming back to Manila after the long Holy Week break.
"With Stage 1's newly-asphalted roadway and new toll facilities like the CCTV cameras and the Command Center, and the full operation of Skyway Stage 2, travel time on both the at-grade and elevated sections of the Skyway System have remarkably improved from what used to be around one hour to just 15 to 20 minutes," CMMTC said in its statement. "CMMTC and Skyway O&M Corporation (its operator for the Skyway System) are continuously undertaking improvement works on the Skyway System to further enhance motorists’ safety and comfort."
Photo from Skyway.com.ph
