THE Transportation department said it would start testing in the “next few weeks” the automated fare-collection system developed by Dito CME Holdings Corp., the communications, media and entertainment arm of the Udenna Group.
Dito CME led a walk-through of the proof-of-concept (PoC) of Autopay on Jan. 25 at the Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange (PITX), the department said in a statement on Jan. 26.
“Ang importante ay maipakita sa inyo (What’s important is to show to you) that we have a solution, that it works for the convenience of the riding public,” Renato Castañeda, chief relationship manager of DITO CME, was quoted as saying.
The department said the internal walkthrough was to test the key features of the Dito CME’s Autopay “before the PoC is sampled to a small group of public commuters in the next few weeks.”
Dito CME’s automated fare-collection system features an e-wallet, which can be used for cashless payments, and a kiosk machine where passengers can purchase their trip tickets.
“It speeds up the long and tedious manual process to just a few minutes,” the Transportation department noted.
The department said it is finalizing the national standards for the automatic fare collection system.
“Once finalized, the national standards shall enable an open and competitive environment among multiple automated fare collection system providers,” it added.
On Jan. 4, the department said it would be rolling out a cashless transit card payment system this year for use in all modes of public transportation nationwide.
“The use of this technology in the transit system promises a more secure payment system, improved passenger convenience, and helps eliminate card-issue and management costs for transit operators,” it said in a statement. — Arjay L. Balinbin
