After postponing the implementation of Joint Memorandum Circular 2024-001 (JMC 2024-001), which defines the new guidelines and penalties for the use of RFID-based electronic toll collection on expressways, the Toll Regulatory Board (TRB) is now taking a closer look at the measure’s implementing rules and regulations (IRR) and making some changes before the planned 2025 rollout.
One item the agency will add to the IRR has to do with the placement of RFID stickers on vehicles. At the moment, Autosweep and Easytrip stickers are installed either on the windshield or the headlight. The TRB, however, will ban placing stickers on headlights, saying these are more prone to getting damaged.
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Where should Autosweep or Easytrip RFID stickers be placed?
“Magiging polisiya na po natin na ilalagay po sa windshield iyong ating mga RFID,” said Atty. Alvin Carullo, TRB executive director. “Kasi napatunayan po natin na pag nilalagay po sa headlights, dahil ito po ay exposed sa environment at saka sa heat kasi mainit po iyong iba, lalo na sa mga trucks, ito po ay hindi na po natin papayagan.
“Ang reklamo po kasi ng mga toll operators, wala pong direktang...kautusan kung saan ilalagay. Ngayon po, ang Toll Regulatory Board, mag-iisyu na po kami ng direktiba na from now on, ilalagay na po siya sa windshield.”
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Motorists who refuse to have tollway RFID stickers installed on their windshields will be fined with the corresponding penalty under JMC 2024-001, Carullo said, adding that if they continue to disregard the new rule, their vehicles may also be put under alarm.
To be clear, no actual issuance that prohibits placing tollway RFID stickers on headlights has been issued as of this writing. When the TRB makes this new rule effective, we’re seeing that toll operators will need to have a sticker re-installation procedure in place, because vehicle owners cannot simply remove their existing RFID stickers or get a new one if their vehicles are already associated with existing RFID accounts.
More as we have it. In the meantime, the TRB is also set to remove the minimum maintaining balance for Autosweep and Easytrip wallets—read up on that story here.
