5 groups bid for MRT-LRT 1-ticket system

MANILA, Philippines - All the five prequalified groups yesterday submitted bids for the P1.7 billion single ticketing system project for the Metro Rail Transit 3 (MRT3) and the Light Rail Transit (LRT).

Jose Perpetuo Lotilla, undersecretary of the Department of Transportation and Communications, yesterday said all the five prequalified groups managed to submit technical bids and financial bids for the P1.72 billion Automatic Fare Collection System (AFCS) project.

Companies that were prequalified last May included the AF Consortium led by Ayala Corp. and Metro Pacific Investments Corp. (MPIC) of businessman Manuel V. Pangilinan; Comworks Consortium; E-Trans Solutions Joint Venture Inc.; Megawide-Suyen-Eurolink Consortium; and SM Consortium of retail magnate Henry Sy.

The technical bids of the five prequalified groups were opened yesterday and would be evaluated within a period of 20 days.

The DOTC would give groups that fail to pass the post qualification evaluation 15 days to appeal and file motions for reconsideration.

Lotilla said the DOTC would only open the financial bids of groups that pass the post-qualification process.

DOTC spokesperson Michael Arthur Sagcal said the agency aims to award the contract February next year and full implementation of the public private partnership (PPP) project is on the third quarter of 2015.

The winning consortium has the option to expand the contactless card system to other businesses in and out of the transportation sector such as in retail transactions.

The MRT-LRT single ticket is envisioned to be like Hong Kong’s Octopus Card, which serves as a debit card, aside from being a stored-value train ticket. The single ticket could also be used for other modes of transportation such as buses, paying toll, electronic banking, and even shopping.

The AFCS project would bring important benefits to the more than one million daily passengers using the light rail lines ensuring seamless interconnection for travelers and removing the current inconvenience of the need to buy separate tickets for separate lines.