STARTING Monday, October 5, 2020, bus passengers will no longer be required to use the beep cards to pay for their fares.

The Department of Transportation (DOTr) announced Sunday, October 4, the suspension of the mandatory use of beep cards at the Epifanio Delos Santos Avenue (Edsa) busway after AF Payments Inc. refused to waive the cost of the smart card.

AF Payments is the provider of the automatic fare collection system (AFCS) at the EDSA Busway.

In a statement Sunday, the DOTr said the bus consortia said they will look for another AFCS provider that can offer a better solution.

A meeting with other AFCS providers has been scheduled for Tuesday morning, October 6.

The mandatory use of smart cards will remain suspended until the issue on the cost of the card is resolved.

“This (waiver of the cost of the card) would have made a big difference to the commuters, mostly daily wage earners who are the most affected by the Covid-19 pandemic,” the DOTr said in a statement.

In the meantime, a dual payment system will be honored at Edsa busway.

Those who have already bought or have existing beep cards may still use them for the payment of fares.

Those who have no beep cards yet may pay their fares in cash to bus consortia personnel at the stations.

A previous DOTr order mandating cashless transactions with the use of beep cards at the Edsa busway drew objections from the public and some senators.

Beep cards are smart cards that allow passengers to pay their fares by tapping a fare collection machine with the card.

This system is also used in Metro Manila’s three elevated railways, namely the LRT-1, LRT-2, and MRT-3 as well as by point-to-point (P2P) buses and modern public utility vehicles (PUVs).

The Edsa busway transports commuters from Monumento to the Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange (PITX) through a deficated median bus lane. It began operations on July 1, 2020. (Marites Villamor-Ilano/SunStar Philippines)