Bonifacio Global City (BGC) Bus and Cebu-based Topline Express Ferries passengers can now pay their transport fare through quick response (QR) codes as AF Payments, Inc. launched the country’s first QR code transport payment and ticketing system, in partnership with these transport operators and GCash.
“This is a new era in transport ticketing. It’s a smart solution where both operators and commuters enjoy the efficiency and ease of use associated with QR technology. We are grateful to our partners for supporting the initiative and hope to replicate the same elsewhere in the Philippines,” said Joey Lim, chairman of the board at AF Payments, Inc.
The new ticketing system allows commuters to pay their fare using their GCash mobile app. At the ticket counter, open the GCash app. Choose Pay QR, generate your own QR code, and scan the QR code on the beep QR Reader before boarding the bus or ferry. Your QR ticket will automatically print and the fare will be deducted from your GCash account.
The new QR payment and ticketing system offers a convenient way of paying and presents more payment options for passengers. It also promotes commuter safety. With 6.5-million beep cards in the market and over 20-million GCash account holders nationwide, this service is expected to benefit a sizable portion of e-wallet customers in the Philippines.
“We believe that QR ticketing and payments will improve not only the speed of boarding but also offer our riders more options for payment. We are happy to be the first bus company in Metro Manila to have this new system,” said Jun Galvez, general manager at Bonifacio Transport Corporation.
Topline Express Ferries president/CEO Eugene Erik Lim said, “passenger safety and convenience are a priority to us, so this is a much needed development that will greatly benefit the riding public.”
To further promote cashless payments, AF Payments is planning to roll out QR ticketing to other partner buses in Metro Manila in the coming months. They are also in a discussion with the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) for possible QR ticketing in MRT and LRT. QR tickets are easy to use and reduce implementation and integration cost for public transport operators. With its speed and ease of use, commuters also stand to benefit from the technology.
