Amidst the vagaries of public transportation, there are operators of Modernized Public Utility Jeepneys (MPUJs) who are finding it almost impossible to stay afloat. Industry insiders call them the “Walking Dead,” a tongue-in-cheek reference to transport cooperatives and corporations facing possible bank forfeitures due to their inability to sustain their operations.
Having procured millions of pesos worth of loans from banks to purchase MPUJ units in line with the government’s Public Transport Modernization Program (PTMP), these entities can barely afford to pay their monthly loan interests, let alone the principal amount.
A big reason behind this is pilferage. When a public transport business is being run like a sari-sari store and without proper safeguards, fare collection is diminished by theft involving conductors in collusion with drivers. Accordingly, 40 to 50 percent of the daily income of one MPUJ could end up in the pockets of pilferers.
The PTMP supposedly has a solution to this: the Automatic Fare Collection System or AFCS. In 2018 when the PTMP was just taking off, MPUJ units were each mandated to have a small AFCS contraption to facilitate card payments. But many passengers still preferred to pay in cash. There were also reports of AFCS gadgets being wrecked by unscrupulous insiders who preferred collecting fares the old way for obvious reasons.
Back then, people weren’t used to digital payments yet. But everything changed during the Covid-19 lockdowns when people learned that a phone message was all it took for one to buy anything. Now, even children are already used to digital payments for all kinds of transactions.
Today, it is therefore encouraging to see new digital platform developers come up with feasible solutions for MPUJ cooperatives and corporations to sustain their operations more profitably.
One such novel idea is the Bus Revenue Tracker System being powered by Good Transport Solutions Inc. which enhances the efficiency of MPUJs. With a CCTV camera in each modern jeepney, the system offers a customized anti-pilferage technology that minimizes, if not totally eradicates, the problem of pilferage and internal fraudulent activities.
The system uses a Point-Of-Sale (POS) gadget, people-counting CCTV cameras, a Wi-Fi router, an admin portal, fare reloading and payment platforms that may also accept cash, RFID cards or QR codes and a ride rewards app.
Ensuring transparency and reducing revenue leakage, the system has already been proven by some existing MPUJ operators to combat pilferage. Drivers can’t even make up excuses such as lack of passengers anymore, as the system can also show real-time passenger demand along a route. Its Average Revenue Per Hour data further tracks financial transactions as they happen, preventing fraud and ensuring revenue security.
While its POS works well with or without network signal or at low signals or dead spots, the system further shows historical and time-lapse logs so operators can review and analyze performance data for continuous improvement. Integrated with ChatGPT AI technology, it also allows operators to simply chat with the system and get answers to specific operational questions.
Passengers are meanwhile charged with correct fares based on route length with transaction receipts, fostering convenience with a free bus locator for commuters, the Commuter Transport Map. Non-digital payments are welcome, of course, and fare discounts for seniors, students and PWDs still apply.
For sure, there are many other platforms that MPUJ operators can rely on for profitable operations out there. This is especially helpful for public transport cooperatives whose officials are the ones running their businesses, as many of them aren’t exactly business professionals with MBA backgrounds or were CEOs before being elected to head their groups.
By utilizing these platforms, MPUJ cooperatives and corporations will now have a fair chance at not ending up as Walking Dead.
