The Automated Fare Collection System (AFCS) of Valllacar Transit Inc. will not only improve the convenience of the riding public, it will also help address public health safety, Chairman Martin Delgra III of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board, said Monday, June 14.
Delgra, who joined Leo Rey Yanson, VTI president and CEO, at the launching of AFCS at the Ceres Liner North Terminal in Brgy. Bata, Bacolod City, said it will help prevent the spread of COVID-19 because there will be no passing of money on the buses.
The VTI pilot route for the AFCS on an initial 10 buses will be from Bacolod City to Victorias City.
The AFCS is a cashless, contactless, and efficient way of collecting fares from passengers, who only need to tap their cards on boarding a bus, Delgra said, adding that this is a first in Western Visayas.
He lauded VTI for giving the tap cards to the riding public for free. The load will be paid by the commuters in the terminal booth.
The riding public will also be able to earn points every time they use their VTI tap cards for free rides, which is a first in the Philippines, Delgra said.
“It is a good innovative program,” he said.
This is a celebration of a milestone and a key component in the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program of the government, Delgra said.
He thanked VTI, the biggest bus company in the country, for its full and whole hearted support of the program of the Duterte administration.
He also lauded the founders of the VTI, Olivia and Ricardo Yanson Sr, for their pioneering spirit and dedication to serving the riding public.
MODERNIZATION PROGRAM
LTFRB Regional Director Richard Osmeña said VTI is also looking at interconnectivity that will allow the public to also use the tap card to pay for their fares when they ride modernized jeepneys and taxis.
Osmeña said the PUV Modernization Program is pushing through in Bacolod City.
They are helping cooperatives and corporations modernize their buses and jeepneys, he said.
Three cooperatives in Bacolod have so far complied with the requirements for bank approval of loans for their vehicle modernization, Osmeña said.
The modern jeepneys will have Global Positioning Systems that will determine the distance travelled by a commuter and enable the use of tap cards as the mode of payment for riders, Delgra said.
Delgra said during the COVID-19 pandemic they thought the public transport system would slow down but it turned out more were launched around the country.
FOUNDERS CITED
The VTI president said there is need for the continuous improvement of the company in terms of convenient, quality, and affordable service to the riding public as embodied in the legacy of his late father and Yanson Group of Bus Companies founder, Ricardo Yanson Sr.
He also said his mother Olivia Yanson, who co-founded the company with his father, has been “a beacon of hope in these trying times.”*