LIGHT RAIL Manila Corp. (LRMC), operator of Light Rail Transit Line (LRT)-1, introduced Wednesday a contact-tracing tool that it will offer to its passengers, as part of its health and safety measures amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The new contact-tracing tool is an added feature of the company’s ikotMNL mobile app.
“LRT-1 passengers on trains and at the stations may activate the contact tracing feature via Bluetooth LE (low energy) technology that allows detection of other passengers nearby,” LRMC said in ane-mailed statement.
The company said the feature protects individuals’ data privacy, as it is “automated, anonymous, and privacy-first by design.”
“LRT-1 passengers who may have come into close proximity with a fellow passenger who reports or tags himself later on as diagnosed positive with COVID-19 will be notified by government authorities when the respective contact-tracing procedure begins,” it added.
The company said it launched the ikotMNL mobile app in November last year. It is the country’s first railway and tourism mobile app, which “aims to be a one-stop information mobile platform for commuters and tourists traveling along the route of LRT-1 in Metro Manila.”
The app is available on the App Store and Google Play.
In May, LRMC announced its partnership with the University of the Philippines-Diliman’s National Engineering Center for the use of an ultraviolet technology to disinfect its train sets. They aimed to develop “different disinfection equipment using UVC (ultraviolet-C) technology that would best serve the LRT-1 trains.”
LRMC said they would also accelerate the mass production of the technology to immediately serve the entire LRT-1 line.
LRMC President and Chief Executive Officer Juan F. Alfonso said: “We continue to challenge ourselves everyday on what we can do for the Filipino commuter. By leveraging on technology and exploring innovation solutions, we hope to continue raising the bar for rail transport in the Philippines and achieve our vision of integrated mobility.” — Arjay L. Balinbin
