How Did These Buses, Trikes and Jeeps Pass the Emission Test?

While driving around my city of Manila, I can't help but wonder how these smoke belching buses, tricycles and jeeps every passed the emission test?  Did they do a non-appearance and greased the emission testing centers?

If we're serious about reducing pollution in this city, the first thing the MMDA and LTO should do is to apprehend these smoke belching vehicles and determine the emission centers that performed the emission test.  The emission centers should be closed down for passing vehicles that shouldn't be on our roads.

Just like everyone else, it begs the question on why we still have these smoke belchers plying the streets of Manila despite the emission testing required as part of vehicle registration.  Someone out there is lining his pocket to look the other way.

The Road Kill: Toll Service Tags Needs Major Overhaul

The Road Kill: Toll Service Tags Needs Major Overhaul: SLEX ePass and ECTag internet services needs major work ..."

Toll Service Tags Needs Major Overhaul

How many of you have tried to check your SLEX ePass balance, hoping that ePass' website works?  If you're like me, I like to check my balance before I do a road trip.  If I need to top up, I can do so conveniently using the internet banking services of Citibank to top up.

When it comes to the ePass website, it falls short of my expectations.

1. The website has been on the blink for 3 weeks now?
2. If you call their call center service, it's not 24/7.  Duh?!
3. When you want to speak to an agent, it hangs up on you.
4. A little secret ePass didn't share.  When you inquire on your balance in the website, you can key in the 6-digit tag number.  But when you pay through your bank's internet service, you need to prefix the ePass tag 6-digit number with 555.  

Comparing the ePass website to that of NLEX's ECTag, the latter is so much better.  You can even request for an online statement showing you your toll and top-up transactions.  How convenient.   If you call their call center, someone's there to pickup the call if you request to speak to an agent.  Not 24/7 though.  But ECTag is not perfect either.

I called their hotline service and requested that the balance on my old tag be transferred to the new one.  The agent said that they are unable to perform this transaction at this time as ECTag is in the midst of a migration from the old to a new system.  What?  I asked for how long will this take.  She said, she has no idea when they will be able to perform the transfer. 

If you ask me, they should fire their technology head or project manager for this.  Didn't NLEX think about the impact to customer service when they decided to go through this migration?   At least managed the downtime?  Sheeesh.

Ok, enough bitching and moaning about toll tag services.  At least from where I come from, I would expect the following from the toll operators:

1. 24/7 call center service.  The toll ways operate 24/7, why not the call center?  Even a small team on the grave yard or night shift should help.
2. Keep your website up and running.  Am referring to ePass.  You're down 4 weeks now.  Are you guys on Xmas holiday too?  The toll ways aren't. 
3. For ePass, you should provide an online statement of transactions like ECTag does.  

Come on guys, your toll hikes are going to happen.  It's time the public expected better service from you.  Just doing these 3 items I mentioned should already make a difference.