Beep card sales breach 5 M, logs over 1 B transactions

The private concessionaire of the automatic fare collection system for the Light Rail Transit (LRT) and Metro Rail Transit (MRT) has breached the five million sales mark for beep cards as more modes of transport continue to accept the tap-and-go mode of payment.

AF Payments Inc., a consortium of Metro Pacific Investments Corp. and Ayala Corp. that is behind beep, said over five million beep cards have been sold to date.

This as other modes of transport aside from the LRT and MRT have accepted payment via beep card, such as the point-to-point buses of Froehlich, HM Transport, RRCG, TAS Trans, and DNS, as well as the BGC Bus, Citylink Coach Services, Lancaster New City shuttle service, and BBL Trans (Balibago-Buendia route).

Aside from hitting the five million sales mark, AF Payments said beep also had its one billionth transaction last Aug. 8 in the light rail network (LRT-1, LRT-2, and MRT-3).

Of this number, 56 percent are beep card transactions, while 44 percent are cash via single journey tickets.

AF Payments said the trend in the use of beep cards is expected to continue increasing.

“Reaching this milestone is a testament that we were able to create a robust and dependable payment solution for mass transit that has brought convenience to millions of the city’s rail riders over the last three years,” AF Payments president and chief executive officer Peter Maher said.

The consortium said commuters have attested to the improvement of their journey in the elevated trains because of the beep card.

Aside from time saved in falling in line, commuters enjoy seamless transfers between train lines and automatic savings for most rides, it said.

“Our customer surveys have consistently shown that the ease and convenience of using the beep card is among the top three reasons why commuters prefer to take LRT-1. Complemented with more trains, more trips, and lesser waiting time, the beep card has contributed to the reduction of the passengers’ travel time,” Light Rail Manila Corp. president and chief executive officer Juan Alfonso said.

Beep recently launched a mobile app which enables cardholders to check the load and transactions on a daily basis for up to five cards.

The Ayala-MPIC consortium won the permit to operate an automated fare collection system as a public-private partnership project in 2013.

“Our team works day and night in partnership with the DOTr and the rail operators to ensure that the system meets the demanding performance standards set out in the concession agreement,” Maher said.