Robredo supports ‘Beep’ transactions but info dissemination needed

Vice President Leni Robredo on Sunday expressed support for the use of “Beep” cards in public transportation but stressed the need for an information drive before the use of cashless payment methods are made mandatory for commuters.

“Agree ako ng cashless transaction, lalo na ngayong panahon ng pandemya. Agree din ako na napaka-convenient na isa lang iyong card para sa lahat... Pero ang hindi ako agree, na ito ay in-enforce na walang maayos na communication,” she said in her weekly radio show.

Many commuters were earlier caught off guard when a “no Beep card, no ride” policy was implemented on EDSA carousel buses.

On Sunday afternoon, the Department of Transportation announced that Beep cards will no longer be mandatory in the EDSA Busway starting Monday, October 5, after the provider of the automatic fare collection system refused to waive the cost of the card.

“‘Di ba puwede namang gobyerno iyong mag-assume ng P80, nagpapa-load na lang iyong sumasakay. Pero iyong basic card, tingin ko kaya naman iyon ng gobyerno, na siya iyong mag-provide,” Robredo said.

“Iyong ideya niya, maganda, in the sense na halos lahat na bansa ginagawa na ito, para convenient… Pero iyon nga, bakit ii-implement siya nang hindi in-inform iyong riding public?” she added.

The Vice President underscored that many commuters can only afford the exact fare they need each day.

“Ang problema kasi, kung hindi mo in-inform, alam naman natin na marami tayong mga kababayan na eksakto lang iyong dala. ‘Di ba? Eksakto lang iyong dalang pera. Ang iba, pinaghihirapan pa para may pamasahe,” she said.

AF Payments Inc., the operator of the automatic fare collection system being used in the Metro Manila rail systems and on the EDSA Busway, earlier said the 80-peso cost of one Beep card was already partially subsidized and gave them “zero profit.” — DVM, GMA News