French firm to join bidding for MRT-LRT single ticketing system

MANILA, Philippines - Easytrip Services Corp., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Egis Projects of France, is set to join the bidding of a P1.7 billion contract for the establishment of a single ticketing system for both the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) and the Light Rail Transit (LRT).

Easytrip president and chief executive officer Eugene Antonio said in an interview that the company is interested in the single ticketing contract that would be auctioned by the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) early next year.

“Yes we are interested,” Antonio told The STAR.

He pointed out that Easytrip is the exclusive electronic toll collection service provider in the North Luzon Expressway.

According to him, the company would have to make slight adjustments as collection in the toll roads involves motor vehicles, while the single ticketing scheme for the MRT and LRT would involve passengers.

Antonio said users of Easytrip tags virtually have no toll payment queues at the exclusive Easytrip lanes at toll plazas.

Egis Projects of France is the leader and authority in the tollroad industry in Europe. It is a developer, a toll collection management system integrator, maintenance provider, and shareholder of both the Lopez-controlled Tollways Management Corp., and the Manila North Luzon Tollways Corp.

The proposed facility would make it easier for commuters using the MRT and LRT lines from suffering from long lines as a result of the different tickets for the mass transport system.

The MRT-LRT single ticket is envisioned to be like Hong Kong’s Octopus Card, which serves as a debit card, aside from being a stored-value train ticket.

The single ticket could also be used for electronic banking and shopping.

The riding public has long urged government to implement a common ticketing system for the LRT lines 1 and 2 and the MRT 3.

The different ticketing schemes employed in the three mass transport systems have been blamed for the long lines of passengers buying tickets at the train stations.

The MRT line that runs from Baclaran in Pasay City to North Ave. in Quezon City services around 500,000 passengers per day way above its capacity of 350,000.

On the other hand, LRT line 1, which runs from Baclaran in Pasay City to Roosevelt in Quezon City, serves at least 500,000 passengers daily, while the LRT line 2 which operates from Recto in Manila to Santolan in Pasig City caters to 350,000.