Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. (MPTC), the tollways arm of Metro Pacific Investments Corp. (MPIC), inked a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) that seeks to reinforce the agency’s highway-emergency response.
MPTC will provide Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) sticker tags to MMDA’s registered emergency vehicles that would pass through major toll roads managed and operated by MPTC in the south and the north of Luzon.
MPTC will install RFID sticker tags to 100 MMDA emergency-response vehicles bearing an initial load of P500. Under the agreement, upon depletion of the initial load, the MMDA will take over the responsibility of topping up or loading the RFID tags for quick and easy access of toll plazas.
The two organizations signed a nonexclusive MOA to cement the partnership that aims to speed up the MMDA’s emergency-response vehicles’ entry and exit in the North Luzon Expressway (Nlex), Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway toll areas in the north, and Cavite Expressway (Cavitex) in the south.
“We are pleased to partner with MPIC/MPTC,” said Danilo D. Lim, MMDA chairman. “This will allow us to quickly extend our Metro-wide services, particularly in areas within the metropolis where we need to pass through Nlex and Cavitex toll plazas.”
“We support the government’s mandate to provide quick and efficient public service,” said Rodrigo Franco, MPTC president. “With this partnership with the MMDA, we can help the agency respond faster during times of natural disasters.”
Municipalities that can be easily accessed via Cavitex include Muntinlupa, Parañaque, Las Piñas; and Caloocan and Valenzuela via Nlex.
Latest RFID technology
EasyDrive (powered by Easytrip) is the country’s first RFID sticker tag used for toll payment instead of cash payment.
It uses the latest RFID technology in paper-thin battery-less sticker form that contains a chip and antenna attached to a vehicle’s windshield or headlamp, and can be used at EasyDrive dedicated or mix toll lanes at Cavitex.
“Our mandate is to ensure the quick delivery of Metro-wide public services in areas within our jurisdiction; any delay in arriving in our intended destinations could mean a lot,” Lim said “With RFID-tagged emergency vehicles, our efficiency during emergency-response assistance would be vastly improved.”
Currently, 163,162 private vehicles are now installed with MPTC’s RFID tag stickers, allowing them to quickly pass through toll gates in the north and south.
According to data, it takes nine to 12 seconds to pass through Slex/Nlex and Cavitex toll plazas when motorists prefer to pay cash, while it only takes two to four seconds to enter and exit if their cars are tagged with EasyDrive or EasyTrip stickers.
The time to enter and exit toll plazas are even longer during public holidays, such as All Saints’ Day, Holy Week and Christmas with cash payment mode. “It is our corporate objective to provide motorists with an efficient and quicker access of expressways to allow them to reach their destination conveniently and faster,” Franco said.