SMC Infrastructure will provide toll rebates for select public utility vehicles and cargo trucks using the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) and STAR (Southern Tagalog Arterial Road) Tollway starting Monday, March 23, following the government’s call to help ease the impact on the transport and logistics sectors of rising fuel costs driven by the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
Eligible vehicles will receive rebates on a weekly basis amounting to the difference between the current and previous toll rates at SLEX and STAR Tollway.
The government had approved an adjustment on toll rates at SLEX and STAR Tollway starting last January 1, 2026, after the old rates had remained largely unchanged since 2014.
Eligible vehicles are:
- Class 1 – Public utility jeepneys and UV Express vans
- Class 2 – Public utility buses and modern jeepneys
- Class 3 – Cargo trucks and trailers with three or more axles and over 7.5 feet in height
On STAR Tollway, rates after the rebate will be P 104 from P 113 for Class 1, P 208 from P 225 for Class 2, and P 311 from P337 for Class 3. STAR Tollway runs from Sto. Tomas, Batangas to Batangas City.
To qualify for the program, an eligible vehicle must be an active Autosweep user in good standing and must have no existing unsettled traffic violations anywhere along SMC’s expressway network, which includes SLEX, STAR Tollway, TPLEX, NAIAX, and the Skyway System.
Vehicles with Autosweep To Go accounts must submit the required documents for full account verification at Autosweep customer service centers to ensure rebates are properly credited to legitimate owners or operators.
Eligible vehicles that continue to use cash must enroll in Autosweep and submit documentary requirements, including valid certificates of public convenience issued by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB).
Qualified vehicles that are already active Autosweep users no longer need to register, but their accounts must remain in good standing, with no unpaid passages or negative balances. Account holders with arrears may settle these to qualify for the rebate program.
Enrollment will run for two weeks, from March 23 to April 4. Rebates will be applied retroactively beginning on the date of complete submission of documentary requirements and will be credited weekly to qualified accounts.
To remain eligible for the program, participating vehicles must continue to comply with prevailing traffic rules and regulations across SMC’s expressway network throughout the duration of the program.
The rebate program will run for two months and will be subject to review by the Department of Transportation and the Toll Regulatory Board.
What about the victims of SMC Tollways' road hazards, mostly due to their shoddy construction works? Tires getting punctured, or worse, rims getting destroyed, by errant tools on the road. Windshields being chipped or cracked, or worse, shattered, by scattered rocks being flung around by the tires of other passing vehicles. Vehicular accidents in general due to poor lighting, abrupt placement of barriers without proper signage, not to mention the sudden and forced lane changes to the flow of traffic making their expressway feel like a damn race track.
ReplyDeleteSTAR and SLEX is terribly managed! When you report an accident, staff will just write up a report without even an inkling of remorse for the inconvenience their wild west of an expressway has caused. The sooner SMC loses their tollway concessions, the better!