THE Department of Transportation (DoTr) has started to build up a cashless interoperable fare collection system in the country.

The DoTr launched on Friday the Automated Fare Collection System (AFCS) EMV Pilot Production Testing Project in Lucena City to allow cashless payments soon to be implemented nationwide.

Twenty PUV units of the Lucban Genesis Transport Service and Multipurpose Cooperative have been installed with EMV-enabled AFCS devices to allow cashless payments.

Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) Regional Director Renwick Rutaquio said this is part of the DoTr’s initiatives in line with the ongoing finalization of the AFCS National Standards (NS), an interoperability project between the government and private sectors for the continuous development toward digitization of public transportation for faster, convenient, safe, affordable and accessible travel for all commuters in the country.

“This pilot implementation is part of the government’s efforts to continue pushing for a safer, more seamless, and more comfortable public transportation for every Filipino. The learnings that we will obtain from this pilot run will certainly help us create better public transportation for all,” Rutaquio said.

The pilot test in Lucena followed the inaugural launch of the PITx-Nichols route using the AFCS.

At least 25 EMV Contactless Special Transit Cards will be distributed to regular passengers of the route as part of the project’s thrust to promote cashless payment.

The pilot run shall continue onboard 150 modern PUV units in selected areas in the National Capital Region, and Regions 3 (Central Luzon), 4A (Calabarzon and 7 (Metro Cebu).