SMC official commits to 20% elderly and PWD discount for Autosweep expressways
The elderly and PWDs have always been entitled to a 20% discount for products and services. Using Autosweep and the expressways that use its RFID tag will soon be part of the list, too, or so an official of San Miguel Corporation has committed. How is the discount supposed to work, and how will it be applied?
Autosweep discounts, according to SMC official
According to Infrastructure Group Head Rafael Yabut, SMC is committing to applying discounts to the use of expressways and skyways in Metro Manila, southern Luzon, and northern Luzon by the elderly and PWDs. Yabut had said as much during the House investigation into the implementation gaps regarding the laws on discounts and benefits for the elderly, PWDs, and solo parents.
The first step to mobilize this plan is for SMC to coordinate with the Toll Regulatory Board (TRB) and other concerned agencies on how to grant discounts on its tollways and the Autosweep system.
How will it be implemented, then? As of the moment, there are no solid plans or guidelines yet.
A suggestion put forward by House Ways and Means Committee Chair Joey Salceda, though, was that instead of deducting 20% from the cost of an expressway or skyway radio frequency identification (RFID) card or its top-up load, an equivalent amount would be added to the Autosweep card price or additional load.
“In other words, it would be an add-on. If you buy PHP5,000, you get PHP6,000, or PHP1,000 more, which is equivalent to 20 percent. There is no loss on the part of the expressway/skyway operator,” Salceda said. This was followed by the premise that the vehicle on which the RFID sticker would be attached should be registered under the name of a senior citizen or PWD.
SMC operates the Metro Manila and Ninoy Aquino International Airport skyway system, South Luzon Expressway, Southern Tagalog Arterial Road, and Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway and uses the Autosweep RFID tags for entry and exit.
A lot is being put forward involving Skyway-3 (and the call to lower its toll fees), and Autosweep (and Easytrip) RFID tags as of late, and SMC seems ready with answers and possible solutions. The only hope now is that everything does go according to plan and will benefit the people; the way they should be.
