By Darwin G. Amojelar
AF Payments Inc. said Friday it is launching a new solution to make bus tickets purchase more convenient to passengers.
“With our new Advance Booking System feature, AF Payments Inc. is expanding the roster of solutions to continuously support the business needs of our partner transport operators nationwide. We work on these innovations in fulfillment of our shared end goal of improving the commuting experience of the riding public,” said Sharon Fong, chief commercial officer of AF Payments Inc..
“This 2023, we hope to be able to bring our technology to more routes by doubling our efforts at reaching out to interested partners,” she said.
The Advance Booking System will first be implemented by Davao Metro Shuttle in its Metro Manila-Davao route, the longest bus route to date.
Starting Jan. 27, commuters and even tourists will enjoy the convenience of reserving bus tickets in advance to lessen the hassle of queueing onsite.
Passengers can purchase and rebook tickets ahead at the Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange Terminal using their beep card.
Davao Metro Shuttle has been a valued bee partner since November 2019. It operates inter-provincial buses that implement an automated fare collection system.
Apart from DMS, Annil Transport Service Inc., operating a Davao City-Calinan route, has also been an AFCS partner since February 2020.
AF Payments is also looking to expand adoption of its payment solutions among buses and modern jeepneys in more provinces this year.
It plans to team up with transport operators completing their compliance with the government’s PUV Modernization Program to service over 70 million commuters in the country.
Its main offering is an AFCS that allows passengers to enjoy the convenience of cashless and contactless fare payments, while empowering transport operators to more efficiently manage their payment collection, recording and remittance compared to the traditional manual way that is susceptible to human error and pilferage.
A consortium of Metro Pacific Investments Corp. and Ayala Corp., AF Payments offers a full ecosystem of related business solutions that includes AFCS, Advance Booking System, Fleet Management System, QR Ticketing /QR Payment System, Barrier and Gate Solutions, Central Ticketing Solutions and Queue Management System.
Customers can choose the services they need and bundle them together in a packaged offering for more savings, it said.
The stored value beep card used in transportation and select retail establishments can be bought online on Shopee, Lazada and Facebook Marketplace. Reloading options include the partner transport operators, digital banking and e-wallet partners and the beep mobile app.
