(UPDATE) THE Department of Transportation (DOTr) announced on Saturday that the launch date of student beep cards was reset from Sept. 15 to Sept. 20, citing system issues.
It added that system recalibration is needed to prevent glitches in the process.
DOTr assured students they would still enjoy a 50-percent discount on fares through single-journey tickets.
“I ordered our team to immediately resolve the system issues because I know students have long been waiting for this. If it means losing sleep, we will lose sleep just to launch it right away,” acting Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez said.
Lopez said the move was in accordance with the order of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to make the program immediately available to students.
The DOTr said beep cards for senior citizens and persons with disabilities will also be available soon. The initiative aims to drastically reduce the waiting time for card applicants from up to 10 days to just a few minutes.
The new student beep cards will carry an automatic 50-percent fare discount on the Light Rail Transit (LRT) 1, LRT 2 and Metro Rail Transit 3.
