Jauhn Etienne Villaruel

Article (news)

Andrea Taguines

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1754280000182cropped-Screen Shot 2025-08-04 at 7.49.33 AM.png" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Vince Dizon led the pilot implementation of the automatic fare collection system (AFCS) at the Ayala MRT station on Friday by using his GCash account to pay for his fare on a &quot;Fast Lane&quot; turnstile. Andrea Taguines, ABS-CBN News</span></span></span></div><p>MANILA (<strong>UPDATED</strong>) -- The Department of Transportation (DOTr) on Monday announced that starting today, Aug. 4, it would offer free single journey tickets (SJT) to passengers who were unable to tap out at MRT-3 stations due to system errors during the pilot run of cashless payments in the train line last week.</p><p>This, after concerns were raised by MRT-3 riders, particularly cases where passengers were charged the maximum fare of P28 due to system issues when tapping out at exit turnstiles.</p><p>The system should automatically withhold the end-to-end fare of P28 from a user’s account once the passenger taps in. The excess amount is then returned upon tap-out or once the exit station is determined.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/business/2025/7/25/dotr-launches-cashless-payments-for-mrt-3-0955">DOTr launches cashless payments for MRT-3</a></div><p>But some commuters, like Christian Martin, were not able to get their change. Speaking with ABS-CBN News, Martin shared that he was only supposed to pay P16 for his trip from Shaw Boulevard station to Cubao on the evening of July 28.</p><p>When he got off the train, however, the turnstile was not working. He was allowed to exit manually, along with other affected passengers, but he said the MRT-3 staff present also could not explain to him what happened.</p><p>&quot;May P12 pa po sana ako. Na-disappoint lang din po ako, umaasa kasi ako ng convenience kasi mas madali naman talaga pero yung convenience na nilo-look forward ko, naging inconvenience pa siya sa end,&quot; he said.</p><p>&quot;Tatlong araw pa nga lang na nagsimula siyang i-rollout may ganitong problema nang nangyayari,&quot; added Martin.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/business/2025/7/29/dalian-trains-to-increase-mrt-3-carrying-capacity-to-800-000-dotr-0846">Dalian trains to increase MRT-3 carrying capacity to 800,000 - DOTr</a></div><p>As a solution, affected passengers will be given a non-expiring SJT equivalent to the maximum MRT fare, which they can use for their next ride.</p><p>To claim the free SJT, affected commuters must proceed to any MRT-3 ticket booth and present proof of the failed tap-out transaction.</p><p>&quot;Para matulungan yung mga kababayan natin, kasi hindi naman nila kasalanan yun,&quot; said DOTr Secretary Vince Dizon in an interview on ANC’s Headstart.</p><p>He sought patience from the public as its payment partners try to address all the kinks in the system during the pilot implementation of the program.</p><p>He said the DOTr has already asked its partner banks to refine the system to prevent similar issues going forward.</p><p>&quot;Since it&#x27;s still in the pilot stage, there are some issues. We&#x27;ve asked our partners—GCash and other banks—to refine the system to make sure everything runs smoothly. But what&#x27;s important right now is doing whatever we can quickly to make commuting more convenient. Let&#x27;s get it done,&quot; he added.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO</strong></div><div><strong><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable fr-active" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lCA9DY9ygxc?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></strong><br/></div>

<p>Affected passengers will be given a non-expiring SJT equivalent to the maximum MRT fare, which they can use for their next ride. |</p>

Affected passengers will be given a non-expiring SJT equivalent to the maximum MRT fare, which they can use for their next ride. |

DOTr to give free ride to passengers with tap out issue during cashless pilot run

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DOTr to give free ride to passengers with tap out issue during cashless pilot run

Andrea Taguines,

ABS-CBN News

Published Aug 04, 2025 07:55 AM PHT

|

Updated Aug 04, 2025 07:38 PM PHT

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MRT

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