The new smart card ticketing system for the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) and Light Rail Transit (LRT) will be up and running by the third quarter of 2015, according to the AF Consortium. The AF Consortium said it has received an electronic copy of the notice of award and design for the $37 million automatic fare collect
The new smart card ticketing system for the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) and Light Rail Transit (LRT) will be up and running by the third quarter of 2015, according to the AF Consortium.
The AF Consortium said it has received an electronic copy of the notice of award and design for the $37 million automatic fare collection system (AFCS) contract from the Department of Transportation and Communications.
The DOTC awarded the contract to the consortium led by Ayala Corp. and Metro Pacific Investments Corp.
The AF Consortium said it will now form a team of technical design and software development experts to work on the smart card-based ticketing system before it becomes available for MRT and LRT commuters in Q3 2015.
The AF Consortium said it is partnering with MSI Global, a rail, transport and retail payments provider, for the smart card project. MSI Global is also the technology provider of Singapore's EZ Link card.
The new smart card ticketing system will replace the current magnetic stripe ticketing system. The smart card can be used not just for the MRT and LRT but also for electronic payments for buses, toll roads, retail and parking.
The AF consortium includes AC Infrastructure Holdings Corp., BPI Card Finance Corp., Globe Telecom, Meralco Financial Services Corp., MPIC and Smart Communications.