THE Southern Tagalog Arterial Road (Star) Expressway is now equipped with RFID technology, Star Tollways Corp. said, offering motorists a more seamless travel south of Metro Manila.
In a statement, the company said it has installed homegrown Autosweep RFID tech at toll plazas to complement cash payments in the 42-kilometer toll road that stretches from Santo Tomas, Batangas, to Batangas City.
Star said the use of the RFID system will help reduce waiting and transaction times at toll plazas, a usual pain point for tollways in the Philippines.
“This is one of the plans we are implementing in order to lessen hassle and ensure faster travel. We are more optimistic that with the inclusion of the Star Tollway into San Miguel Infrastructure’s Autosweep RFID system, we will be able to handle vehicle volumes at a faster rate,” the statement read.
Average daily vehicle traffic on Star is at 58,000 vehicles. Around 28 percent of the vehicles currently use the RFID tech as their preferred mode of payment.
“We encourage motorists to utilize the Autosweep RFID access as mode to pay their toll fees,” the statement read.
Aside from Star, toll roads under San Miguel Corp. include the South Luzon Expressway, Skyway and the Naia Expressway.