Long queues at LRT1: Stored value cards can’t be used

MANILA, Philippines – Southbound passengers of the Light Rail Transit (LRT) Line 1 will have to endure long lines at the ticket booths until the new tap-and-go system is in place. 

Stored value tickets cannot be used for those traveling from Roosevelt station to Baclaran station due to the ongoing installation of the new automated fare collection system (AFCS) contactless gates, the Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA) said.

Passengers traveling on this route will need to buy single journey tickets every time they make a trip. 

Northbound passengers, however, will still be able to use their stored value cards.

The new system has caused long queues at the stations, with commuters complaining about the lack of ticketing booths open to serve passengers.

On Tuesday, May 26, LRTA spokesperson Hernando Cabrera told frustrated commuters on Twitter that he will direct station officers to open more booths to ease the long queues.

“The more we delay in the installation of the new gates, the longer the period of time of inconvenience to passengers,” he said.

“Simply put, it is a choice between one to two months inconvenience, or 3 to 4 months inconvenience,” Cabrera added. 

Once the new tap-and-go system is launched, passengers may transfer the remaining credits on their stored value cards to the new Beep card.

The new system, which will provide a unified ticketing system for the two LRT lines and the Metro Rail Transit (MRT3), was set to go live this month.

But AF Payments Inc (AFI, formerly Automated Fare Collection Services, Incorporated), the consortium of Ayala Corporation and Metro Pacific Investments Corporation (MPIC), said the system rollout has been pushed back as end-to-end testing is ongoing in all stations. – Rappler.com