SAN Miguel Corp. (SMC) on Tuesday said it is ready to comply with the planned implementation of a “three-strike” policy for erring motorists who use cashless lanes.
The three-strike policy, which is still being finalized by the Toll Regulatory Board, will be applied to motorists with no load or insufficient load balance in their radio-frequency identification (RFID) accounts but repeatedly use the cashless lanes, SMC said in an e-mailed statement.
They are “holding up other motorists and causing traffic,” it added.
Under the planned three-strike policy, erring RFID motorists will only receive a reminder for the first offense and a warning for the second offense.
There will be “apprehension and pre-COVID penalties for those who commit the offense for the third time,” SMC said.
The company, which operates Southern Tagalog Arterial Road, South Luzon Expressway, Skyway System, NAIA Expressway, and Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway, reminded motorists that they can reload their RFIDs at various retail outlets, including Petron Treats, Savemore, SM Bills Pay and SM Business Services.
“Online reloading is also available, through partner banks Bank of Commerce, BPI, Union Bank, China Bank, Maybank, and popular gateways GCash, PayMaya, Eon, Coins.ph, and Justpay,” it added.
The company also reported an 85% penetration rate on its RFID lanes.
“We’re no longer seeing the kind of lines we used to have when majority of motorists were using cash payments,” SMC President and Chief Operating Officer Ramon S. Ang said.
Cash lanes remain available at expressways to give motorists more time to avail of free RFID stickers, SMC said. — Arjay L. Balinbin
