In response to President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s directive to make public transport more convenient, the Department of Transportation will soon allow LRT and MRT passengers to pay using debit or credit cards and even mobile wallet platforms such as GCash and PayMaya, the DOTr chief said on Friday.
President Marcos ordered Cabinet members and agency heads to complete government projects on time and within budget to prevent delays that impact Filipinos’ daily needs.
DOTr Secretary Vince Dizon said they will start deploying cashless turnstiles for the automatic fare collection (AFC) system in the LRT and MRT this July, eliminating the need to purchase or reload a Beep card, the contactless, stored-value smart card used for paying fares on the LRT and MRT lines.
Dizon said commuters will soon be able to simply tap their phone or card at the turnstile or the mechanical gate, which consists of revolving horizontal arms fixed to a vertical post.
“Mga bandang July ito, if I’m not mistaken. I-implement na natin sa MRT at sa ibang mga tren natin. Alam ko pati credit card puwede na. Ita-tap mo na lang ‘yung phone mo. Hindi ka na kailangan bumili ng Beep” card, Dizon said.
“Nagtaka nga ako bakit hindi ito kaagad na-implement, ‘yun naman pala kaya iimplement kaagad-agad itong cashless options sa MRT,” he added.
President Marcos had ordered the DOTr to develop an open-loop payment system that is integrated with multiple financial platforms. Such a system aims to replicate the seamless and inclusive systems employed by leading global transit networks.
“Nakikita na naman natin ito sa ibang bansa. So, iyon ang sabi ng ating Pangulo, gawin na rin natin ‘yung mga modern facilities sa ibang bansa dito para sa mga kababayan natin,” Dizon stressed.
The DOTr is working with transport operators and financial service providers to ensure a smooth rollout of the upgraded fare collection systems. Pilot testing and public information campaigns are planned for the period leading up to the July launch. | PND
