By Alithea De Jesus
Nothing is more annoying for a motorist is to realize that you have zero balance or low balance in your electronic pass. The hassle and stress of being apprehended or asked to transfer to another booth because you don’t have enough balance is also an embarrassing experience. Apart from the fact that you have to use different RFID for every different expressway.
But here is the good news for the motorists, as the reloading for both EasyTrip and AutoSweep RFIDs or Radio-Frequency Identification, has become more convenient as RCBC enables its mobile and online users to avail of this digital payment feature. For DiskarTech app users, motorists with EasyTrip RFIDs may load through the said app. Soon, AutoSweep will be available also on DiskarTech.
With the issuance of the Department of Transportation issued Department Order No. 2020-012, this mandates expressway users to pay their toll using contactless payment systems. It is hoped that automated transactions using this contactless toll collection will address the health and safety concerns amid the pandemic.
With the pandemic and social distancing protocols, there is a need to speed up the transition to cash-free toll collection though, as the government has set a deadline. It mandated that all expressways must transition into 100 percent electronic toll collection no later than November 2.
Migration to the use of RFIDs as a mode of payment in toll plazas provides a lot of benefits to the motorists. It saves on time as it reduces the time for the collection of payments in the toll plazas. It saves on fuel and minimizes air pollution. It helps you monitor your toll expenses especially if you are a regular user of the expressways. The use of RFIDs can help ease traffic congestion during rush hours. The average daily traffic (ADT) volume in NLEX is around 270,000 and SLEX is close to 300,000 vehicles. In SCTEX, its ADT is about 70,000 vehicles.
EasyTrip RFID could be used in the toll gates of North Luzon Expressway (NLEX), NLEX Harbor Link, Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX), Cavite-Laguna Expressway (CALAX), C5Link and Cavite Expressway (CAVITEX).
AutoSweep RFID, likewise, is operational in South Luzon Expressway (SLEX), Southern Tagalog Arterial road Tollway (STARTOLL), Elevated Expressway (SKYWAY), Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway (TPLEX), Muntinlupa Cavite Expressway (MXC), and NAIA Expressway (NAIAX).
These partnerships with EasyTrip and AutoSweep show the commitment of RCBC to its mission of financial inclusion by making banking and payment transactions easy and accessible to the motorists and the masses in general.
In the media advisory of RCBC and DiskarTech, Mr. Lito Villanueva, RCBC Executive Vice President and Chief Innovation and Inclusion Officer welcomed this development.
“We continue to find innovative ways through the DiskarTech app to encourage people to embrace cashless and paperless transactions as the new normal especially during this pandemic”, Villanueva said. DiskarTech sustains its high social media positive sentiment rating of 99 percent from netizens in the first two weeks of October.
Interestingly, DiskarTech became an instant hit hitting three million downloads from both Google Play Store and Appstore in its first three months since it was launched last July 2020, .
It aims to make banking services more accessible to grassroots communities. There are about 50 million unbanked and underserved adult individuals nationwide. With only a single government ID one can already open a bank account through the app and enjoy the convenience that its features offer.
Aside from providing a convenient way to load the RFIDs, DiskarTech offers attractive benefits to the users. For one it gives 3.25% per annum if you save through the app. It facilitates cash-in and cash-out transactions through over 30,000 partner-agent locations. It is a one-stop-shop for utility bills payment. Once could do business through the purchase of mobile phone load and e-gaming pins. It offers income and life protection through the purchase of affordable insurance products. One of the best and unique features is the Telemedicine where you can avail of online medical services.
The clincher is the referral system where one gets to earn an extra income by asking someone to download and register using a special referral code.
“It gets exciting every day as we continue to discover and develop features for DiskarTech that would greatly help Filipinos achieve their financial goals”, added Lito Villanueva, Executive Vice President and Chief Innovations and Inclusion Officer.
With RCBC’s massive digital push during the pandemic coupled with its exponential digital transaction volume and value during the pandemic, it has merited three global awards as the country’s best digital bank.