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LRTA to pilot reloadable beep tickets on Monday
(Updated 7:13 p.m.) Contactless payment solutions provider AF Payments Inc. and the Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA) will pilot test the new beep™ contactless ticket for the mass rail system starting Monday, July 20.
The LRTA has approved the trial run for the unified automated fare collections system at the Legarda Station of LRT Line 2, AF Payments said in a statement Friday.
"Ang intention is to validate operational aspects of the new system. For example, 'yun bang machine at instructions mababasa ng pasahero? We will put a lot of people to assist train riders during the trial," Cabrera told GMA News Online.
"Ang intention is to validate operational aspects of the new system. For example, 'yun bang machine at instructions mababasa ng pasahero? We will put a lot of people to assist train riders during the trial," Cabrera told GMA News Online.
The train operator's spokesperson Hernando Cabrera also tweeted the same announcement.
The new tickets are in the form of "beep" cards instead of magnetic stripe tickets.
(1) LRTA has approved the conduct of public trial for the use of the new beep card on Monday, 20 July with Legarda as pilot station.
— Hernando T. Cabrera (@attycabs) July 16, 2015
The stored-value, single journey beep cards will be sold only at the Legarda station during the trial period. But commuters may use and reload the new tickets at any LRT 2 station, Cabrera said.
AF Payments Inc., a joint venture between Ayala Corp. and Metro Pacific Investments Corp., will supply the beep™ cards that would supposedly shorten the queuing time and make possible the seamless transfer from one rail line to another.
(2) The beep card shall be available only at Legarda Station but can be exited in any station
— Hernando T. Cabrera (@attycabs) July 16, 2015
The beep cards, which cost P20 apiece, may be loaded with a minimum of P12 to a maximum of P10,000 from vending machines in LRT 2 during the trial phase, according to AF Payments.
While the load will have no expiry date, commuters will have to buy a new replacement card every four years because the tickets would inevitably suffer from the wear-and-tear of use, Cabrera said.
"We now enter a crucial phase, which is to generate more volume to test the equipment and to assess the public's ability to use the new system," AF Payments CEO Peter Maher said.
"We want to observe the user experience and see whether any improvements are necessary. We hope that as we roll-out the limited public trial, we are able to address any concerns that may come up to ensure a smooth transition to the new payment system," he added.
Should the lates test show positive results after two days, the LRTA will make the beep cards available in another station until the new system is fully implemented in LRT Line 2, Cabrera said.
Under its contract with the government, AF Payments has until September to complete rolling out the new ticketing system, the LRTA official noted.
Under its contract with the government, AF Payments has until September to complete rolling out the new ticketing system, the LRTA official noted.
The magnetic stripe tickets will remain valid until the new system' roll-out is completed, AF Payments said without specifying a timeframe.
The Department of Transportation and Communications awarded the 10-year ticketing concession to AF Payments as a public-private partnership project. The company won the concession by placing a P1-billion bid in January 2014.
The company originally planned to launch the new system in May, but decided to push the implementation at a later date or until the end-to-end tests have been completed. – Keith Richard Mariano/VS, GMA News
The company originally planned to launch the new system in May, but decided to push the implementation at a later date or until the end-to-end tests have been completed. – Keith Richard Mariano/VS, GMA News
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