As if the recent fuel price hikes aren’t enough, motorists using the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway will face another added expense. The Toll Regulatory Board has announced on Facebook that SCTEX can now impose higher toll rates beginning today, September 9.

In 2020 and 2022, NLEX Corporation filed petitions for toll rate increases. These petitions were approved on April 24, 2023, but their implementation was split into three tranches.

For this final phase, there will be an additional P0.64 toll per kilometer for Class 1 vehicles, P1.29 for Class 2, and P1.93 for Class 3.

Motorists traveling from Mabalacat (Mabiga Interchange) to Tipo (Hermosa, Bataan) will now pay P370 for Class 1 (a P40 increase), P740 for Class 2 (an P80 increase), and P1,110 for Class 3 (a P121 increase).

Those traveling from Tipo to Tarlac will pay P600 (a P66 increase) for Class 1, P1,200 (a P131 increase) for Class 2, and P1,800 (a P197 increase) for Class 3. These new rates do not include fees for using the Subic Freeport Expressway.

Finally, motorists traveling from Mabalacat to Tarlac will pay P230 (a P25 increase) for Class 1, P460 (a P51 increase) for Class 2, and P689 (a P75 increase) for Class 3.

More than a measure to cope with inflation and currency adjustment, NLEX emphasizes that these regular adjustments are necessary to fund various infrastructure projects, such as the New Clark City Interchange, the upgrade to Neology antennas and RFID stickers on SCTEX, and the installation of additional CCTV cameras and speed-monitoring systems.

Funds also support repairs to bridges like the Porac-Gumain and ongoing work on the Pasig-Potrero bridge, ensuring their structural safety. These funds contribute to NLEX’s green initiatives, including installing rainwater collection systems for public restrooms.

Looking ahead, NLEX plans to install solar-powered lights with built-in wind turbines along the SCTEX tollway network.

For now, travelers will need to tighten their budgets. If you plan to use SCTEX soon, be sure to load your Easytrip RFID accounts to avoid unnecessary hassles.