By: Aliahcorr Balanon
Photo from Inquirer File Photo
The Department of Transportation (DOTr) decided to postpone the launch of the student beep cards, originally scheduled on Sept. 15, to ensure that there will be no problems for students when applying their cards.
“Kailangan lang po naming mag-recalibrate ng system based sa aming initial assessment, para masigurong walang magiging problema sa pag-aapply ng mga estudyante para sa kanilang white beep cards,” DOTr said in a statement on Friday, Sept. 12.
“We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience, and we assure everyone that we are working hard to resolve these system issues within the month.” they added.
On Aug. 13, the new white beep cards for students were first announced to be available this September, offering an automatically 50% discount for students who are using Metro Rail Transit (MRT) 3, Light Rail Transit (LRT) 1 and 2. Weeks later, it was officially announced that the said discounted beep cards would be available on the 15th of September.
According to initial guidelines, students who want to avail the said beep cards can apply from any of the MRT and LRT stations presenting their school ID or validated registration form to claim their personalized card with the student’s name on the same day of application.
As this card is a concessionaire pass, this can't be purchased online or outside the train lines, with a validity for one year and allowed to renew every school year, unlike the senior citizen and persons with disabilities (PWD) versions that have lifetime validity.
As of this writing, DOTr has confirmed that on Saturday, Sept. 20 will be the official launch date for student beep cards.
“Inutusan ko po ang team natin na tapusin agad ang mga problema sa system dahil alam kong matagal na itong inaabangan ng mga estudyanteng pasahero. Kung kailangang hindi matulog, hindi kami matutulog para ma-launch na natin agad ito,” Acting Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez said.
Meanwhile, it is not yet available, students may still continue to avail the 50% train discount using a single journey ticket, senior citizens and PWDs may use their white beep card to avail the 50% discount.