A free Geely Okavango/ Haoyue for those who switch to RFID in Philippines

The Metro Pacific Tollways Corporation (MPTC), the biggest toll operator in the Philippines, is giving out two Geely Okavango (aka the Geely Haoyue) to RFID toll users in the republic.

Known as the Happy Holideals 2022, the competition is open to all road users from Class 1 to Class 3 who are registered with the Easytrip prepaid Radio Frequency Identification (RFID).

Other than the two 7-seater Okavangos, MPTC is also offering 20 consolation prizes worth PHP 100,000 (~RM 8,187).

The competition is part of MPTC’s Road to RFID 100% campaign introduced last year. Thanks to the need for contactless payment, the Philippines’ Department of Transportation (DOTr) started trials for the new RFID toll system along the country’s major highways during the lockdown period.

It also helped that the government signed a Department Order (DO) that requires all toll operators in the country to have 100 percent electronic toll collection lanes by November 2020.

To help expedite the process, MPTC had worked with the various highway operators to implement special arrangements such as sending teams to specific areas to help residents install the Easytrip RFID stickers and forming an RFID Assist Squad to provide road users with immediate help.

Meanwhile, in Malaysia, the Works Ministry has announced that they will be phasing out SmartTag and Touch n’ Go lanes along the North-South Highway from Juru, Penang to Skudai, Johor in favour of RFID by end 2023.

Perhaps if they hold a competition giving out a free SUV, it would give Malaysians more incentive to switch over to the RFID system.

Also read: Works Ministry confirms TnG and Smart Tag to phase out as early as end-2023, migrating to RFID