No Beep card, no ride on EDSA Busway starting Oct. 1

MANILA: Starting October 1, the EDSA Busway system will no longer accept cash payments for fares and will require all passengers and commuters to use Beep cards.

This is being implemented by the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) as part of the safety measures to reduce the spread of the COVID-19 through cash-handling in public transport.

“We want to ensure 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. This will also complement other safety and health protocols already enforced by the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases on PUVs, such as the required social distancing, and mandatory wearing of face masks and face shields to board,” said DOTr Assistant Secretary for Road Transport and Infrastructure Steve Pastor.

With the full implementation of this policy just two days away, the agency is urging all commuters and passengers to purchase their Beep cards to avoid being inconvenienced 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 queues and lines that come with having to do cash payments. We are envisioning that even more public transport vehicles adopt digital transactions means, either through QR codes, online payments or tying up with cashless payment providers such as Beep,” said LTFRB Chairman Martin Delgra.

Beep cards are stored-value cards that provide an easier, modern, and more convenient way of paying for your fare. Money is deducted from the card after it is tapped at its fare collection machine. This system is also used by the LRT-1, LRT-2, and MRT-3 and by a number of Point-to-Point (P2P) buses and modern Public Utility Vehicles (PUVs) nationwide.

Loading Beep cards is easy. Passengers and commuters need only to go to any LRT and MRT stations, FamilyMart and Ministop branches, Bayad Center and their affiliates, or via Over-the-Air (OTA) loading partners such as BPI, Eon by Unibank, Akulaku, and Justpayto.

Photo from the DOTr Facebook page

Also read: DOTr: Toll transactions must be contactless