Unified ticket system for LRT won't happen this May

The new Automated Fare Collection System for the Light Rail Transit (LRT) Line 2 has been pushed back until its private sector proponent has finished end-to-end tests in all stations of the mass rail transit system.

 

The tests in progress aim to make the automated ticketing system ready once it goes live, according AF Payments Inc. "The new system is using contactless smart card technology to upgrade and integrate the ticketing infrastructure of the Philippines' major railways."

 

The AFCS was supposed to go live sometime this month.

 

"While AF Payments Inc. is keen on introducing the modern ticketing system that will improve the traveling experience of commuters of the LRT and the Metro Rail Transit (MRT), it is taking all necessary measures in addressing technical issues to ensure full system acceptance and customer satisfaction," CEO Peter Maher said on Monday. 

 

"We will determine and announce when the new system will go live at LRT 2 after conducting satisfactory testing, inspection and validation," he added.

 

While the company is committed to deploy a new reliable and unified rail ticketing system in the Philippines, Maher seeks the patience and understanding of commuters. 

 

Last March, AF Payments announced the AFCS would be launched by May to reduce the time it takes for commuters to queue and move from one train to another with the new system expected to make such transfers in a seamless manner.

 

AF Payments, a joint venture between Ayala Corporation and Metro Pacific Investments Corporation, won the AFCS contract as a public-private partnership project with the Department of Transportation and Communications in January 2014.

 

The joint venture offered to pay the government more than P1.088 billion in premiums while the 10-year concession contract is in place. – VS, GMA News