Beep e-load hubs set up at LRT-2 stations
MANILA, Philippines — With the transportation department's push towards cashless transactions in public transportation, stored value updaters have been installed in all stations on the Light Rail Transit-Line 2, the line's administration said.
In a statement sent to reporters, the Light Rail Transit Authority disclosed that starting Monday, one beep e-load station will be put up at low foot traffic stations while busier stations such as the Araneta Center-Cubao and Recto stations will have two each, allowing commuters to reload their beep cards using digital wallets and banking apps.
The LRT-2, along with the three other rail lines in Metro Manila also beefed up their maximum capacity by 30% on Monday. They are set to gradually increase to 40%, and later 50%.
READ: Rail lines set to gradually increase passenger capacity, DOTr says
“Apart from the strict implementation of safety measures to beat COVID-19, this [project] aims to provide safer and seamless ticket transactions to the commuting public,” LRTA administrator Reynaldo Berroya said.
Currently, the LRTA said, over-the-air loading is available for users of BPI mobile app, Paymaya, EON by Unionbank, Akulaku, JustPay.to/beep, and Load to Beep.
Last July, the rail line closed its passenger assistance offices for ticket purchasing and loading and left the selling and loading of tickets solely on the vending machines, though the offices remained open to handle operations-related inquiries and ticket problems and to issue concessionary cards to senior citizens and persons with disabilities.
Earlier, the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board on Wednesday ordered public utility vehicle operators and automatic fare collection system providers to waive charges for purchasing or replenishing cards.
This came after AF Payments Inc.—the operator of the Beep card used for carousel buses along EDSA — refused to waive the cost of the beep card, which drew criticism after passengers were required to buy cards worth P180 before they could avail of a bus ride.
Operations at the rail line were suspended on October 8 after a fire incident caused the burning of its uninterrupted power supply, marking the second time in less than a year that the line saw unintended accidents, the second of which has left three of the line's stations left out of commission to this day.
— Franco Luna
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