The Philippines Department of Transportation (DOTr) has replaced the magnetic-based ticketing system with a contactless smart card solution, Beep Card, to offer commuters smoother transactions and streamline revenue collection and management.
DOTr is working with AF Payments - a consortium of Ayala and Metro Pacific Groups - to operate and maintain the Beep Card system through Build-Transfer-And-Operate (BTO) and Build-Own-And-Operate (BOO) schemes.
The Beep System comes equipped with security measures, including encryption and authentication protocols to protect transactions and mitigate risks associated with fraud or data breaches.
The project had an estimated cost of 1.72 billion Philippine Peso (S$41.2 million).
According to DOTr, the smart card has been rolled out in the National Capital Region (NCR) to address the needs of densely populated urban areas and enable transactions for commuters.
A centralised back-office system has been introduced to manage transactions, collect fares, and distribute revenue, it added.