Last week, the Toll Regulatory Board (TRB) announced that starting August 31, 2024, they will implement Joint Memorandum Circular (JMC) 2024-001.

With it, motorists without a valid RFID sticker, including those with dilapidated RFIDs, will be slapped with a “No Valid ETC device” violation along with heavy fines. Aside from that, motorists with insufficient balance on their RFID accounts will also be penalized.

Fast forward a week later, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) announced they had postponed the implementation of the new tollway guidelines. According to DOTr Secretary Jaime J. Bautista, they have decided to defer its implementation to October 1, 2024, to give tollway operators more time to inform the public about the new guidelines.

“We hope the concerned agencies and tollway operators would use the 30-day deferment to fine-tune expressway operations and further intensify the public information campaign to enable tollway users to comply with the new guidelines,” said Bautista.

The TRB mentioned that while 91% of tollway users are compliant and responsible, the remaining 9% are erring motorists who cause inconvenience to other tollway users. But with the DOTr deferring the implementation of JMC 2024-001 to October 2024, perhaps tollway operators and motorists with defective RFID stickers will be able to iron out the issues ahead of the new tollway guidelines coming into effect.