The Department of Transportation (DoTr) has started to roll out contactless payment methods for PUV passengers. This is a welcome addition for those who don’t normally bring cash along with them on an everyday basis for hygiene or safety purposes. Of course, we can hear the barrage of jokes incoming when someone brings out their black card in the e-jeepney.

This latest digital infrastructure is called the Automated Fare Collection System (AFCS) which will be backed up by National Standards. These rules will permit interoperability between various PUV and contactless payment systems to keep operations as smooth as possible. Supported at launch are debit, credit, and prepaid bank cards for cashless payment avenues.

According to DoTr Secretary Jaime Bautista, an effort like this has sprung out of a genuine desire to match the quality of public transportation in progressive neighboring countries. This includes Thailand and Singapore. Pilot tests were conducted last December 2020 and in 2021 to visualize how the systems would work individually, and under the typical load of a busy work day in the Metro. In partnership with the Land Bank of the Philippines, it was deemed ready for a wider range of final testing pre-release.

Here’s the catch: as of now, only Land Bank cards will be working with these systems. Support for other banks is being eyed for a later point in time. As for supporting PUV partners for contactless payments, there will initially be participating 150 PUVs in the National Capital Region, Central Luzon, CALABARZON Region, and Central Visayas.

We can only hope the best for the success of this launch, as well as the digital security of the systems holding our card information and data. This is a step in the right direction and could lead to traffic alleviation by encouraging more people to start commuting instead of taking their private vehicles with them. After all, we are a value-centric population that would easily jump to a more affordable lifestyle if it wasn’t as taxing as it is now.