3 firms pass technical evaluation for LRT-MRT single ticket project

MANILA, Philippines – Three out of 5 groups that prequalified for the single LRT-MRT ticketing system project have passed the technical evaluation of the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC).

The AF Consortium led by Ayala Corporation and Metro Pacific Investments Corporation, the Comworks-Berjaya Consortium, and the SM Consortium successfully passed the evaluation of DOTC’s Bids and Awards Committee (BAC), according to spokesperson Atty. Michael Arthur Sagcal.

These groups, which were prequalified last May, submitted technical and financial bids on November 18 for the P1.72-billion Automated Fare Collection System (AFCS) project that will provide for a single contactless ticketing system for the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) 3 and Light Rail Transit (LRT) 1 and 2.

The E-Trans Solutions Joint Venture Inc. failed to pass the evaluation when, among others, its technical proposal was found to be incomplete, unclear and non-compliant with the project’s scheme provider principles.

Meanwhile, the business plan of the Megawide-Suyen-Eurolink consortium was found to be incomplete and inconsistent, specifically when its post-tax equity return turned out to be low, an indication that their proposal may not be feasible and self-sustaining.

On Monday, December 9, the DOTC will open financial bids of the 3 groups that passed the technical evaluation.

“We will carefully review the financial proposals of the 3 remaining groups only. At the end of the day, we must make sure that both government and the public will get the most advantageous terms possible,” Sagcal said.

“We have been speeding up the process. At the rate we are going, we should be able to award the contract by January,” added Sagcal.

The single ticketing system is expected to serve as a stored-value train ticket for Metro Manila’s 3 rail transit lines to ease the long queues at ticket booths and spare commuters the inconvenience of buying separate tickets for each line.

It can also be used to pay for other modes of transportation, like buses and taxi cabs, and as a debit card for electronic banking and shopping purposes.

LRT 1 runs from Baclaran station in Pasay City to Roosevelt station in Quezon City and serves at least half a million passengers daily. LRT 2, serving 350,000 commuters every day, runs across Metro Manila from Recto station in Manila to Santolan station in Pasig City.

Meanwhile, MRT 3 line runs along EDSA, with stations from North Avenue in Quezon City to Taft Avenue in Pasay City. It carries around 600,000 passengers daily, almost twice its 350,000 capacity. – Rappler.com