The Metro Pacific Tollways Corporation (MPTC) assures to continue enhancing all services along the NLEX, SCTEX, CAVITEX, C5 LINK, and CALAX as it implements the seasonal “Safe Trip Mo Sagot Ko” motorist assistance program this Holy Week.
“MPTC expressways are open 24/7 to ensure the unhampered movement of goods and the transit of people on essential travels. Our team is always available to readily assist our motorists and efficiently manage the traffic flow on our expressways,” said MPTC President and CEO Rodrigo E. Franco.
For 12 years now, the SMSK has been a staple program aimed at providing motorists with safer and more convenient journeys during the holidays. It will be implemented starting March 28 until April 5, 2021.
During the said period, the Traffic Operations teams of MPTC will be on heightened alert and will deploy additional personnel to closely monitor traffic conditions at the toll plazas and interchanges.
At the NLEX-SCTEX, around 1,000 patrol crews, traffic marshals, toll collection personnel, and security teams will be fielded to conduct traffic management, provide immediate assistance, and look after the safety and security of motorists, respectively.
Emergency medical services, lane management teams, and incident response teams will also be augmented and positioned at strategic areas of the expressway.
Lane closures and mainline road works have been suspended until April 5 unless safety repairs are necessary. Median openings will be pre-opened for quick access in case a counterflow scheme is needed in the event of traffic buildup caused by untoward incidents.
NLEX-SCTEX personnel will also be deployed at all rest and refuel areas along the expressways to aid motorists.
From March 28 to April 5, CAVITEX Customer Service Centers (Manila bound and Cavite bound), C-5 Link Flyover Customer Service Station (Merville service road), and CALAX Greenfield (Mamplasan Exit) Customer Service Station will be open 24/7 for motorists’ concerns, as well as Easytrip RFID installation and reloading. Emergency medical services (EMS) will also be on-site 24/7 during the said period.
“We are anticipating a surge in the volume of vehicles that will pass through our toll roads, from the peak hours of Holy Wednesday, March 31, until Monday, April 5. Our commuter volume is within the NCR+ Bubble namely Manila, Cavite, Laguna. Safety is our priority, and we will increase the deployment of traffic manpower on these dates to maintain ease of passage for motorists traversing our expressways. Also, we continue to remind our motorists to practice minimum health protocols such as wearing a mask inside their vehicles to avoid COVID-19 transmission,” said Roberto V. Bontia, President and General Manager of MPT South.
MPT South will deploy a total of 78 traffic operations manpower to ensure 24/7 operations in its toll roads. RFID assist and ambulant tellers on cash lanes will also be increased to manage the queue of vehicles in toll plazas.
As an additional service for those plying the MPTC expressways, free 24-hour towing to the nearest exit for Class 1 vehicles will also be available from March 31, 6:00 a.m. to April 5, 6:00 a.m.
Traffic situation will be posted on the company’s social media accounts, while the 24/7 Hotlines (NLEX-SCTEX, CALAX:1-35000; CAVITEX: 165-8888) will likewise be ready to address customer concerns.
RFID System
Aside from its intensified customer-facing services, MPTC has also made improvements in its RFID system to help shorten the travel time of motorists especially during this Holy Week break.
MPTC has been upgrading its infrastructure, network, mobile application, toll collection and account management systems to improve the turnaround time of transactions as well as minimize system issues.
With the ongoing upgrade, data transmission between the toll collection and Easytrip systems was reduced from an average of 45 minutes to almost real-time. Lane transactions, checking of account balances and reloading via certain channels are also immediately reflected in the RFID accounts of motorists.
The tollway firm is also launching an improved customer account management system so RFID subscribers may be able to generate their own statement of account for monitoring and self-enroll in the automatic debit arrangement for easier load replenishment.
“All these initiatives are part of our commitment to continuously improve and satisfy the needs of our customers. To avoid long queues at the cash lanes, we are encouraging our motorists to have their RFID stickers installed before entering our expressways and make sure that their accounts have sufficient balance to cover their trips. There are many ways to reload the RFID and motorists may choose the option that suits them best, be it online or over-the-counter,” said NLEX Corporation President and General Manager J. Luigi L. Bautista.
Currently, there are 54 installation sites in NLEX, SCTEX, CAVITEX, C5 LINK, and CALAX including roadshow sites in Landers Balintawak, Ayala Malls Cloverleaf, and Shell Balintawak. Motorists who need to have their RFIDs checked may also visit the installation or roadshow locations. Full list can be found on the Easytrip website: www.easytrip.ph.
For reloading options, there are over 50,000 Easytrip reloading stations in Luzon. Aside from the reloading lanes at the toll plazas and customer service centers, among the stations offering quick time reloading include SM Business Service Center, Robinsons Business Center, 7-Eleven Stores (Cliqq), Bayad Center, Cebuana Lhullier, Villarica, USSC, Pera Hub, LBC, Smart Padala, TouchPay, ECPay, and Posible stores.
RFID subscribers also have the option to reload via online partners such as Paymaya, Gcash, EON, Bayad Center App, Coins.ph, and Justpay.to, and thru banks such as Metrobank, BDO, UCPB, and BPI (BancNet, Mastercard, and Visa). Convenience fees and crediting times vary.
As the system upgrade is ongoing, for any issues that are encountered, motorists may contact the Customer Service Hotline at 1-35000 or send a message through various social media channels of Easytrip, NLEX, CAVITEX, and CALAX.