EDSA busway system to go cashless – DOTr

MANILA, Philippines — The government will implement cashless transactions using beep cards on buses along the EDSA busway system beginning this week, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) announced yesterday.

The DOTr said a “no beep card, no ride” policy would be enforced for passengers starting Thursday.

Transportation Assistant Secretary Steve Pastor said the move would serve as an added safety measure to reduce the spread of viruses associated with handling cash in public transport.

“We want to make sure that commuters along EDSA will have a safer and comfortable travel, while at the same time providing them a more seamless and efficient system of public transport,” Pastor said.

He said the measure would complement other safety and health protocols already enforced by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases on public utility vehicles (PUVs) such as the mandatory wearing of face masks and shields and social distancing.

The EDSA busway system, which was launched on July 1, is a joint project of the DOTr, Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) and Metropolitan  Manila Development Authority.

It seeks to help commuters from Monumento in Caloocan to the Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange within a significantly lower travel time through a dedicated median bus lane.

The LTFRB urged commuters to purchase and load their beep cards in advance to avoid inconveniences once the automated fare collection system is implemented.

“As we are removing other potential health risks, we also want to limit the time spent in lines that come with having to do cash payments. We are envisioning that more public transport vehicles adopt digital transaction means either through QR codes, online payments or tying up with cashless payment providers such as beep,” LTFRB Chairman Martin Delgra said.

Passengers can load their beep cards at any LRT and MRT stations, FamilyMart and Ministop branches, Bayad Center and its affiliates, over-the-air loading partners such as BPI, Eon by Unibank, Akulaku and Justpayto.

The beep card is the only interoperable stored value card that can be used for LRT-1, LRT-2 and MRT-3 as well as point-to-point buses, EDSA buses and modern jeepneys.

It can also be used on tollways and retail partners. The card is reloadable and valid for four years.