SMC continues its "toll holiday" for Christmas and New Year’s

It's that time of the year when traffic is nearing its worst as we get closer and closer to both Christmas and the New Year. At least we will have something to look forward to as the San Miguel Corporation (SMC) continues its “toll holiday.”

SMC has announced that just like the previous years, all of its expressways - South Luzon Expressway (SLEX), Skyway, NAIA Expressway, Tarlac-Pangasinan-LaUnionExpressway, and STAR Tollway - will be toll-free on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. The schedule will be as follows for this time-honored “toll holiday” 

• December 24, 10 pm to December 25, 6 am
• December 31, 10 pm to January 1, 6 am

Aside from this SMC will also be continuing its plans for the Seamless South Tollways initiative through the holiday season reducing the number of stops needed along its expressways. In this manner traffic along these expressways will be kept to a minimum with the pay-as-you-exit theme being implemented. It is important, however, that the NAIA expressway will not yet fully transition to this new theme as it is expected to do so within the first quarter of 2023. 

Despite this toll-free window, SMC still advises motorists to plan their trips in advance or accordingly in order to avoid peak hours of traffic along these tollways. As another friendly reminder from the company, they are reminding motorists that will not take advantage of the free-toll period to make sure they have an adequate balance in their RFID accounts to avoid any delays they may encounter at toll booths. 

If you are planning to do a quick road trip to visit your relatives during Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve you may want to consider leaving after 10:00 PM to utilize the free toll window that SMC has to offer. Just remember to stay safe during these hours as a lot can happen especially if you plan to travel in the wee hours of the morning. Remember to stay well-rested and to take breaks if needed.