Philippines: Ayala-MPIC group wins LRT-MRT smart card project

The Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) has awarded the $37.9 million contract for the common ticket project of the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) and Light Rail Transit (LRT) to the partnership of Ayala Corp. and Metro Pacific Investments Corp. (MPIC).

Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya said the Automated Fare Collection System (AFCS) is the first public private partnership (PPP) project to be successfully awarded by the DOTC.

The AFCS, a tap-and-go ticketing scheme for the Light Rail Transit (LRT) and Metro Rail Transit (MRT) rail systems, is envisioned to improve passenger comfort and convenience by cutting queuing time and allowing seamless transfers from one rail line to another.

Under the concession agreement, the AFCS ticketing scheme would be fully integrated at the LRT and MRT systems by September 2015.