AF Payments Inc.’s tap-and-go payment system beep card ends 2018 on a high note having completed a series of partnerships and improved services, to make payments more convenient to the commuting public.
Beep is widely used today to pay for transport services. It can be used in point-to-point (P2P) buses plying key cities in the metro, and recently, in public utility vehicles such as modern jeepneys and, e-trikes deployed in the walled city of Intramuros.
The beep system has recently been introduced in Mindanao via Husky Tours, which operates a fleet of buses between General Santos and Cotabato.
It was also on Aug. 8, 2018, when beep card hit its 1 billionth transaction in the light rail network (LRT 1, LRT 2, MRT 3) since inception in 2015, which demonstrated the reliability and robustness of the system.
“Transportation has been and will continue to be our core strength. The government’s focus on developing the industry for the benefit of commuters nationwide encourages us to work harder to support Filipino commuters and transport operators,” said Peter Maher, president, and chief executive of AF Payments.
In the world of retail, beep is now accepted at establishments such as Auntie Anne’s, Wendy’s, Binalot, Worship Generation and retail kiosks in train stations like Siomai House and Mr. Donut.
In a bid to develop cashless communities, beep collaborated with Property Company of Friends to offer beep-enabled resident identification cards for access to transportation to and from and within its masterplanned communities in Cavite—Lancaster New City and Bellefort Estates—and entry to their key facilities.
In 2018, St. Jude Catholic School became the first beep-integrated educational institution with beep-enabled ID cards that allow their students to purchase cash-free from merchants inside the campus and avail of Student discounts when they ride public buses and PUVs with beep acceptance.
To support this growing network and make reloading more convenient, beep card teamed up with Coins.ph and EON by Unionbank to offer a mobile app and over-the-air reloading, and China Bank for the first ever ATM reloading service.
This year also saw the launch of the beep app, which allows cardholders to track their transactions and check load balance, a feature that has been requested by digital-savvy users.
“2018 has been a productive year for beep as it allowed us to form strategic alliances and establish more innovative ways to extend our service to a wider public. We look forward to expanding our network through 2019,” Maher said.
Over 5 million beep cards are currently in the market. These cards are used to pay for the fare at elevated trains and select transportation, toll fees, as well as for purchases at select retail outlets.