CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga — Motorists travelling through the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway would have to pay extra tollway fees effective today, October 17.

This, after the Toll Regulatory Board (TRB) has approved the toll rate adjustment for the SCTEX and authorized the implementation of an additional ?0.64 per kilometer starting on the said date.

Under the new toll fee matrix, motorists with Class 1 vehicles traveling between Mabalacat City to Tarlac will be charged an additional P25. Motorists with Class 2 vehicles traveling on the same route will pay an additional P50, and those with Class 3 vehicles will pay an additional P75. Meanwhile, an additional P40, P81, and P121 will be charged to motorists using Class 1, 2, and 3 vehicles, respectively, traveling between Mabalacat City and Tipo, Hermosa, Bataan (near Subic Freeport).

Those traveling SCTEX end-to-end between Tipo, Hermosa, Bataan (near Subic Freeport) to Tarlac will pay an additional P65 for Class 1, P131 for Class 2 and P196 for Class 3.

The new rates were approved in August this year but SCTEX decided to defer implementation to October in light of the inflationary situation.

The new rates are part of the authorized SCTEX periodic adjustment due in 2021 and 2023, and were approved following proper regulatory procedures and thorough review by the TRB.

TRB and SCTEX agreed to implement the adjustments in tranches to help cushion their impact on the users of the expressway, and this will be the first of three tranches.

Contributed photo