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DOTr suspending mandatory use of Beep cards for EDSA buses starting Oct. 5

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ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2020/tvpatrol/10/04/20201001-covid-beep-card-bus-edsa-md-14.jpg"/><figcaption>Commuters line up to top up or buy new Beep Cards in Caloocan City as the EDSA Bus Carousel implements a &#x27;no Beep Card, no ride policy&#x27; starting on October 1, 2020. The policy aims to go cashless to minimize physical contact between passengers and service providers to curb the spread of COVID-19. Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News</figcaption></figure></div>MANILA (UPDATE) - The government on Sunday said it is suspending the mandatory use of Beep cards for EDSA buses starting Monday Oct. 5 amid complaints over the cost of the cards. The Department of Transportation (DOTr) and the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) said that they were &quot;saddened by the refusal of AF Payments, Inc., the provider of the automatic fare collection system (AFCS) at the EDSA Busway, to waive the cost of the beep card despite consistent pleas made by the government.&quot; &quot;Thus, starting Monday, 05 October 2020, we are suspending the mandatory use beep cards at the EDSA Busway until the issue is resolved.&quot; <ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/10/02/20/dotr-wants-beep-cards-given-for-free">DOTr wants Beep cards given for free</a></li>	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/business/10/02/20/beep-card-operator-working-with-govt-to-improve-cashless-payments-says-p80-cards-partially-subsidized">Beep card operator &#x27;working&#x27; with gov&#x27;t to improve cashless payments, says P80 cards &#x27;partially subsidized&#x27;</a></li></ul>The DOTr said a dual payment system will be honored for EDSA Busway passengers. &quot;Those who have already bought or have existing beep cards may still use them for the payment of fares,&quot; the DOTr said. Commuters who don&#x27;t have a card yet can pay their fare in cash at the bus stations. The government earlier ordered EDSA bus operators to shift to a cashless payment system for fares to reduce the risk of spreading COVID-19 among passengers. Use of the Beep cards became mandatory on Oct. 1, with many commuters unaware of the shift to cashless payments, resulting in long lines at many bus stations.Many passengers also complained about the P80 cost of the Beep cards.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/10/02/20/pangkain-sana-commuters-nanawagang-gawing-abot-kaya-ang-beep-card">&#x27;Pangkain sana&#x27;: Commuters nanawagang gawing abot-kaya ang Beep card</a></li></ul>AF Payments however said that the cost of the cards was already &quot;partially subsidized&quot; and that the company wasn&#x27;t making any money from the sales of the cards. Bus operators also said commuters from provinces near Metro Manila might find Beep cards <a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/10/04/20/bus-operators-raise-concern-on-beep-card-seeks-cash-transactions-and-more-routes">confusing</a> since only a few of them have used the stored value cards prior to the pandemic.The DOTr said the EDSA Bus Consortia said they will look for another AFCS provider. A meeting with other AFCS providers is scheduled on Tuesday morning, the DOTr said.The government said giving away the beep cards for free would have made a big difference to the commuters, mostly daily wage earners who are the most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The government on Sunday said it is suspending the mandatory use of beep cards for EDSA buses starting Monday Oct. 5 amid complaints over the cost of the cards.

The government on Sunday said it is suspending the mandatory use of beep cards for EDSA buses starting Monday Oct. 5 amid complaints over the cost of the cards.