Expressways access free this holiday

HOORAY! Merry Christmas, indeed.

The Metro Pacific Tollways Corporation and San Miguel Corporation will be giving motorists a happy holiday by waiving the toll on all their expressways. 

They will not collect any fees from motorists from 10:00 p.m. on December 24 to 6:00 a.m. on December 25, and from 10:00 p.m. on December 31 to 6:00 a.m. on January 1, 2023,  according to the twitter accounts of the two companies.

SMC said travelers who pass through the Star Tollway, South Luzon Expressway, Skyway, NAIA Expressway and Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway will be granted free access to the tollways.

The MPTC will waive the toll for Class 1, 2, and 3 vehicles that will pass through the Manila Cavite Expressway including its C5 link, the North Luzon Expressway, the Cavite-Laguna Expressway, the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway, and the Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway. 

Following the announcement, the tollway operators advised motorists to plan their trips to avoid hassle, as a surge of traffic is expected once the promo is implemented.

They  have intensified the deployment of personnel and implemented a shifting on tellers in cash lanes to ensure a smooth process when passing through the tollway.  

Personnel are also on standby to assist during emergencies, they said. 

MPTC announced that there will  be a temporary suspension of construction works along the main line roads from December 23, 2022 to January 3, 2023 unless there are emergency situations.

Even during the peak of pandemic in 2020 and 2021, the toll operators waived the fees during the holidays.

It has become SMC’s annual tradition to give motorists a temporary free pass to help people plan their travel and better spend time with loved ones this Christmas season, SMC president Ramon Ang said in an earlier statement.