The Philippines’ Department of Transportation (DOTr) is advancing a PHP9.37 billion nationwide automated fare collection system (PAFCS) to enable cashless payments across buses, jeepneys, railways and other public transport modes. The hybrid public-private partnership project is awaiting government approval before the bidding process can begin. The selected concessionaire will build and operate the system before transferring it to the DOTr at the end of the concession period.
The system will support payments through e-wallets, QR codes, debit and credit cards, and other near-field communication (NFC) devices. A Central Transit Acquirer System will facilitate interoperable payments across the transport network, with the aim of reducing queues, simplifying transfers and potentially enabling a single boarding fee for journeys involving multiple modes. More than 50 local and international companies participated in a market-sounding exercise in May 2026, with GCash, Visa and Mastercard among those expressing interest. The system will replace the existing Beep card concession operated by AF Payments, which expires in December 2027. Meanwhile, the DOTr plans to introduce automated fare collection across the EDSA Busway before the end of 2026.
