Senator Grace Poe on Tuesday called out the Toll Regulatory Board (TRB), asking it to explain in detail why it allowed the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) to implement a toll fee hike starting June 15.

“If these were periodic adjustments from more than a decade ago, the Toll Regulatory Board must explain why it only approved it now in one big swoop,” Poe said in a statement.

She said the reason for the TRB’s decision should not just be based on the public private partnership (PPP) contract but also on traffic data.

“Is the expressway really providing express service? Is the convenience provided equal to what is being charged?” Poe asked, urging the government to study the dynamic pricing. “We should not be charging high rates if customer satisfaction is low or performance benchmarks are not met.”

She noted that while fare adjustments are within the PPP contract, the TRB has the duty to ensure that the interests of the commuting public are also protected.

Her statement was preceded by Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel III’s call to put on hold the toll hike, citing the worsening traffic conditions on the expressway and the inflation.

“Any increase at this point would be unjustifiable and unfair to the motorists who have to deal with sometimes EDSA-like traffic on the expressway, specifically from Balintawak to Meycauayan,” Pimentel said. “Bago sila humingi ng dagdag na bayad, ayusin muna nila ang trapik sa NLEX (Before they request additional payment, they should first fix the traffic along NLEX).”

In its announcement, NLEX said the new rates underwent thorough regulatory reviews and were part of the authorized NLEX periodic adjustments, which were already due way back in 2012, 2014, 2018, and 2020. (PNA) 

Photo credit: Facebook/NLEXexpressways