Long, inconvenient lines at the terminals of Metro Manila’s commuter rail services may soon be a thing of the past after the transportation department unveiled a plan to adopt electronic payment ticketing schemes.

If adopted, commuters may soon be able to buy tickets on the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) and the Light Rail Transit (LRT) using their mobile phones, Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) Assistant Secretary Roberto R. Castañares said.

The new scheme is on top of an ongoing DOTC project to implement a unified ticketing scheme for Metro Manila’s three different commuter train lines.

"We are working out a system that will allow passengers to purchase tickets through their cell phones," Castañares said. "This system will automatically debit their Smart Cash or G-Cash or their savings accounts so they don’t have to wait in long lines when buying tickets."

A similar system is already being used by rail authorities in Hong Kong where passengers use cards that can be read by radio signals by simply putting them near the card readers.

The smart cards can be "reloaded" through bank accounts, through the Internet, or with mobile phone payment schemes.

Castañares said the DOTC is "seriously considering" the proposal, adding that it is even better and more efficient than the existing program to unify the ticketing systems being undertaken by the French consultancy firm Systra.

"The Systra study is still ongoing and there’s no conflict with the present system," he said.

Calls for a more efficient ticketing system have grown louder as the numbers of commuters using the MRT and LRT systems increase, prompted in part by rising gas prices.

During the first quarter of 2006, a total of 34.2 million commuters took the MRT-3, data from the company showed. This represents an 11.2-percent increase in the number of riders from the 30.2 million who used the service during the same period last year.

According to the Light Rail Transit Authority, on the other hand, 40.1 million commuters rode its two train lines during the first three months of 2006. This represents an 18.2-percent increase over the 33.8 million passengers that it ferried during the same period last year.

During the morning and evening rush hours, it can take up to 15 minutes for commuters to buy tickets owing to the long lines.

The transportation department has already sealed a deal with the city government of Vienna, Austria, which will donate 48 second-hand trains to the Philippines for the MRT’s expansion program.

Source: http://news.inq7.net/metro/index.php?index=1&story_id=76253