The Department of Transportation (DOTr) and GCash launched cashless payment options on the EDSA Busway on Wednesday, December 17 at the Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange (PITX), which makes commuter travel faster and more convenient.

The initiative follows President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s directive to improve the daily travel experience of passengers and encourage greater use of public transportation.

How it works

Passengers can pay their bus fare by scanning a QR code. Commuters open their GCash app, click "scan to pay," scan the SoundPay device QR code held by the bus conductor, enter the fare amount, and click "pay."

"This cashless payment is a significant step in making commuter travel truly more convenient," said Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez. 

[Ito pong cashless payment ay isang malaking pamamaraan upang sa ganoon masasabi natin na indeed the travel of our commuters is now more convenient]

The DOTr chief added that the government is not just modernizing infrastructure and public vehicles, but the entire passenger experience and public service.

No extra fees, discounts remain

Secretary Lopez assured passengers that the cashless system comes with no GCash convenience or transaction fees. Students, persons with disability (PWDs), and senior citizens will continue to receive their 20% fare discount when they use the digital payment option.

260 busway units are equipped with GCash SoundPay devices, with the pilot implementation set to run for one year.

Security and speed confirmed

GCash for Business Head Jong Layug addressed security concerns about the system, assuring that GCash invests heavily in building top-of-the-line security and that the system cannot be hacked.

Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Deputy Governor Mamerto Tangonan confirmed the speed and convenience of the payment method after he tested it himself. 

"This is going to be convenient sa commuters kasi wala ng magiging problema sa pagbayad and it's very fast. We pay the exact fare and 'yung pamasahe natin dideretso na sya sa account ng operator,”

[This will be very convenient for commuters because there won't be any payment issues, and it's very fast. We pay the exact fare, and the payment goes directly to the operator's account.]

The digital payment system on the EDSA Busway supports the Automatic Fare Collection System (AFCS) Proof of Concept for National Standards, which minimizes cash handling and provides passengers who use e-wallets with an additional payment option alongside traditional cash payments.