Beep is a reloadable contactless smart card created in 2015 to be a replacement for the magnetic card-based system in paying rail based rapid transit transportation fares in and around Metro Manila. Beep is also used in lieu of cash in some convenience stores and other businesses. The Beep system is implemented and operated by AF Payments Incorporated, which is primarily owned by Ayala Corporation and Metro Pacific Investments Corporation.
Background
The Beep payment system is implemented and operated by AF Payments Incorporated, which is a joint venture of Ayala Corporation and Metro Pacific Investments Corporation. The system makes use of a reloadable contactless smart card of the same name. Each card can store a value of up to. Beep cards can be used to travel through the Manila railway lines such as the Line 1, Line 2, and Line 3, select bus lines, and to pay for toll fees on the CAVITEX and NLEX roads. They can also be used as a mode of payment at FamilyMart stores through the tap-to-pay system. Aside from at FamilyMart outlets and MRT and LRT stations, beep cards can be reloaded at Bayad Centers, SM Bills Payment Centers, Villarica Pawnshops, and Tambunting outlets, and the Coins.ph app for NFC-enable devices.
History
By August 5, 2015, all stations of Line 1 and Line 2 were already using beep cards. A unified ticketing system for all elevated rail lines in Metro Manila was completed when the beep card system became available to use in all stations of the Line 3 line in October 3, 2015. AF Payments and FamilyMart secured a partnership which allowed the reloading of beep cards in FamilyMart outlets starting December 7, 2016. It also allowed patrons of the convenient store to make purchases using the smart card. AF Payments also planned to secure similar deals with 7-Eleven and Ministop. In partnership with GCash, it became the first QR code transport ticketing system in the country on October 15, 2019 with BGC Bus and Cebu's Topline Express Ferries being the first to adopt the system for passengers’ payment through the GCash mobile app.
Reception
AF Payments Inc. announced in March 2017 that it has sold 3 million beep cards, mostly to riders of LRT and MRT since it began the system's operations in 2015. It claimed that about 60 percent of MRT and LRT riders used Beep cards to pay their train travel expenses while the rest used the standard single-journey tickets. As of November 2018, more than five million cards have been sold and the company expects user growth at 1% to 2% annually. It was able to monitor one billion transactions on the year 2018, and plans to boost further by rolling out more payment services mostly in the transportation sector.
Plans
There are proposals to implement the system outside of Metro Manila and Cebu. The Southern Mindanao Bus Operators Association is proposing the use of a Beep card at Davao City. SMBOA president Jerry Sy made the suggestion during their board meeting. He also urged them to introduce the technology to other bus companies. A private firm is eyeing to partner with jeepney cooperatives in Bukidnon province and the cities of Iloilo for their jeepneys in support of the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program in the country. Peter Maher, president and chief executive officer of AF Payments Inc., said the initiative is part of the expansion outside Metro Manila. The company is also looking to integrate the beep card system with the under-construction MRT Line 7 and the Philippine National Railways Bicol projects.
