Metro Manila, Philippines – Commuters taking the EDSA busway now have the option to pay fares via e-wallet GCash, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) said.
Acting Transportation Secretary Giovanni “Banoy” Lopez led the launch of the cashless scheme at the Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange (PITX) station on Wednesday, Dec. 17.
Commuters may scan the QR code provided by the bus conductor and settle the amount.
Lopez said there is no convenience fee, while students, persons with disabilities, and senior citizens will still get the 20 percent discount.
“Hindi lang po ang pagmo-modernize ng ating mga pampublikong sasakyan ang kailangan. Higit sa lahat ang pag modernize ng sinasabi nating public service o passenger overall experience at ito ang binibigay ng GCash at ito rin ang binibigay talaga ng consortium sa busway,” he said.
[Translation: We just don’t need to modernize our public vehicles. Above all, it’s about modernizing what we call public service or the overall passenger experience, and this is what GCash provides, and this is also what the consortium is truly delivering for the busway.]
GCash vouched for the security of the scheme, ruling out possible hacking.
“GCash invests a lot on building our security and top of the line po itong ginagamit namin so hindi po ito maha-hack,” said Jong Layug, GCash business unit head.
[Translation: GCash invests heavily in building our security, and what we use is top-of-the-line, so it cannot be hacked.]
The DOTr launched the cashless option at the MRT-3 in July.
NewsWatch Plus correspondent Lance Mejico contributed to this report.
