By Azer N. Parrocha
MANILA, July 23 (PNA) — Passengers at the Light Rail Transit Line 2’s (LRT-2) Betty Go-Belmonte Station may now purchase beep cards as well.
According to the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC), the beep card ticketing system is now being implemented in a second station after its pilot test success at the Legarda Station last Monday.
During its pilot, only minor glitches were encountered under the new system, which typically involved the ticket vending machines (TVMs) such as the rejection of old and very crumpled peso bills.
Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya however assured that “no major issues were experienced”.
The ticketing system will be activated in all stations of LRT-2 in about three weeks’ time after addressing the glitches, the transport chief added.
After Legarda and Betty Go-Belmonte, the DOTC said that the lineup of the remaining stations will be in the Katipunan; Pureza and J. Ruiz; Cubao; Anonas and Gilmore; Recto; V. Mapa; and Santolan.
The beep card ticketing system also known as the tap-and-go system or the Contactless Automatic Fare Collection System (AFCS) is the DOTC’s first Public-Private Partnership (PPP) project under the Aquino administration.
DOTC has meanwhile encouraged the passengers using the new beep cards to give feedback, comments and suggestions to help the agency improve the rail system’s services.
Similar to the first pilot test, the next testing phase will also only limit the number of beep cards initially sold for Php 20 in activated stations’ TVMs and designated windows.
The new tickets may be used to exit from any LRT-2 station, and may be reloaded at any of these locations as well. The minimum amount that the system requires to be loaded is Php 12, and the maximum is Php 10,000. (PNA)