Following its announcement that it would waive toll fees for all motorists affected by a disruption in its electronic toll collection (ETC) system last week, SMC Infrastructure said it is set start issuing refunds starting Wednesday, November 23.
The company said that the refunds will cover all vehicles that passed through affected tollways, including the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX), STAR Tollway, NAIA Expressway, and Skyway from Alabang to Buendia on Thursday, November 17, 6 AM to 2 PM.
That morning, traffic had built up along the expressways, prompting the operator to lift toll plaza barriers up to allow vehicles to pass through freely and ease congestion.
The company, which issued an apology and committed to waive toll fees for all affected motorists, traced the source of the disruption to damaged fiber optic cables that transmit load data to a database shared with its technology partner.
It has since been determined that the cables sustained damage as a result of a recent major accident that severely damaged a pedestrian footbridge along Dr. A. Santos Avenue in Sucat, Paranaque, which was later demolished.
To effect the refund, SMC Infra said it will electronically credit the Autosweep accounts of vehicles with RFID tags starting November 23, 2022.
Meanwhile, motorists who paid in cash will be given a one-time free pass, which they can use at any exit of SLEX, STAR, NAIAx, or Skyway Stages 1 and 2.
Motorists can avail their free pass at any cash/mixed-lane exits along the toll roads by surrendering their valid official receipt issued on November 17 from 6 AM to 2 PM.
Tellers will validate the receipts, which will serve as proof that the motorist is entitled to the one-time pass.
The refund period will be up to Thursday, December 22.
To ensure smooth traffic, the company said it would deploy additional personnel at cash lanes to facilitate the refund in anticipation of queues.
I would suggest best is to have just one(not multiple) RFID installed per car for all tolls, just like in other countries.
ReplyDeleteGood after thought thou, but what is the law, if the line is more than a kilometer they should raise the barrier for 5 minutes, then fix. If the line again is a kilometer then raise the barrier for 5 minutes, until no more lines.
ReplyDelete