Ref.: Mariecar Jara-Puyod
Tel. No.: +63 (2) 647-3452
September 8, 2003
A modern ticketing system.
This is what commuters plying the Santolan to Cubao route now experience when they travel using the Light Rail Transit system from Pasig City to Quezon City.
A first in the Philippines, this modern ticketing system employs the use of ticket vending machines or TVMs in the entire 13.8 km stretch of Megatren (also called Purple Line) which will eventually connect to the Doroteo Jose Station of LRT 1 in downtown Manila next year.
?It?s in keeping with the modern times. It is also the government?s move to give Filipinos a better means of transportation system comparable to industrialized countries,? Transportation and Communications Secretary Leandro Mendoza said.
A few advanced countries that have TVMs in their mass rail systems are the United States, France, Japan, South Korea, and Germany.
LRTA Administrator Atty. Teddy Cruz, Jr. meanwhile said that this new feature helps to speed up the flow of passengers in all Purple Line stations that will eventually result in ?considerable savings in travel time and more time to accomplish business transactions for better economic benefits.?
Forty-six TVMs have so far been installed at the Santolan, Katipunan, Anonas, and Cubao terminals, LRT 2 operation and maintenance manager Engr. Ed San Juan said.
?It is hoped that through these TVMs, commuters buying single journey tickets (SJT) will have less time queuing up for that single ticket while those who opt to buy the stored value tickets will also get quick service from LRT 2 staff at the passengers assistance office in each of our stations? San Juan said.
According to LRT 2 station operations manager Butch Laigo, there are two kinds of TVM, the manufacturer of which is the French-based Thales e. Transactions.
The first is the BNC (bank note and coins) type which accepts both coins and ?not dilapidated? P10, P20, and P50 bills. The second is that which accepts coins only. Both give out corresponding change in coins.
Laigo said the TVMs are programmed in such a way that these can ?interpret the value of the money they accept and give out the corresponding exact change.?
Each TVM is equipped with a recycler and a hopper which serve as the dispensing devices for the exact change.
The recycler is loaded with 100 coins a day in the denomination of P5, P1, and P0.25 and maintains an average daily balance of P49.75. ?If the value of money in it goes lower than P49.75, then, a red light flashes on a small screen to warn the SJT buyer that the ticket could only be purchased with the exact fare.
The hopper is the change dispenser that can be loaded with 1,000 P1 coins. These coins can be replenished several times a day depending on the volume of TVM users.
Buying the SJT from the TVM is accomplished in four steps, with the instructions both in Filipino and English. The ticket comes out immediately as soon as the machine reads the value of the money slotted in.
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