The beep card may have only been around for some three years now. In fact, it will be celebrating its 3rd anniversary this October. Yet believe it or not, there have already been 1 billion beep card transactions to date.
Yes, the 1 billionth beep card transaction was performed last August 8, 2018 as a cardholder paid for their ride on board the Light Rail Transit (LRT). To date, there are over 5 million beep cards in circulation, making a lot of commuters’ lives more convenient. But what makes this innovative little piece of plastic so special, you ask?
Think about it. Rather than frequently fish for cash when riding the LRT and its Metro Rail Tranist counterpart, one merely needs to tap his or her beep card and pay for the ride. And we’re not simply talking about one train ride here. The card can actually be used even when transferring train lines. This translates to seamless travel.
This is a godsend for people who use various train lines on a daily basis to get to work or school. It not only saves them the hassle of waiting in line for endless minutes but is likewise much safer as they don\t need to carry large amounts of cash or coins just to get around. And let’s not forget the hygienic aspect—they need not hold coins or paper bills that have changed hands a more than a number of times and have accumulated a gazillion germs.
The folks from Ayala Corporation and Metro Pacific Investments Corporation, the consortium behind the tap-and-go card, are naturally pleased with how their creation is doing. Around 58 percent of these transactions, they note, are beep card payments while 44 percent are single journey tickets. Moreover, the number of beep card payments continue to rise as 59 percent of fares on the LRT and MRT were made using beep cards as of July 2018.
Yes, everyone from students, office workers, and even senior citizens have seen and are enjoying the convenience of this automated fare collection system. And it isn’t jjust the elevated train commuters who are reaping the benefits. More than a few point-to-point bus companies have taken on the beep card as their mode of fare collection.
Learn more about the beep card by visiting: https://www.beeptopay.com/home/index.html or hoooking up with beep cards on social media.
