On Monday, March 29, the authorities and concessionaires of Skyway Stage 3 tested its electronic toll collection system ahead of launch, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) said.
According to the DOTr, the test covered the inventory and maintenance of the toll collection equipment, Lane Computer System and Plaza Computer System protocols.
Different scenarios were reportedly tested, such as the screening of exempted and towed vehicles, as well as the processing of low balance and invalid RFID transactions, among others.
Since the Skyway Stage 3 opened in December 2020, San Miguel Corporation (SMC) president and CEO Ramon S. Ang said passage to motorists would be free. The 18.83km elevated expressway connects Buendia, Makati City, to the North Luzon Expressway in Balintawak, Quezon City, cutting travel time from 2 hours to just 15 to 20 minutes.
“Mahalaga po ang tinatawag na SAT dahil para po masiguro namin na tatakbo ang ating Electronic Toll Collection System nang maayos, mabilis, matiwasay, at ligtas para sa ating lahat, especially sa mga toll road users,” said Toll Regulatory Board executive director Alvin Carullo.
“Ibig sabihin po, dapat tama po ’yung mga toll rate, tapos po dapat mabilis ang pagbasa sa RFID tags kasi importante ito para maiwasan po ’yung paghaba ng pila sa mga toll plaza at tsaka ang pagkumpul-kumpol ng mga sasakyan,” he added.
Officials have yet to release the final toll rate for Skyway Stage 3.
During the second half of 2020, the government mandated all expressways to accept toll payments only via RFID to minimize contact as a precaution against COVID-19. This move also aimed to reduce traffic and make travel more convenient to motorists.
However, there have been complaints of faulty sensors, limited registration sites, interoperability, and too short of a time to get an RFID tag.
NOTE: This article first appeared on Reportr.world. Minor edits have been made.
