By Emmie V. Abadilla
The Department of Transportation (DOTr), and the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) yesterday welcomed PayMaya's move to give Public Utility Vehicle (PUV) drivers and operators cashless payment options to curb the spread of coronavirus.
PayMaya is an e-wallet app that gives users either a virtual or a physical card to be used for making online payments. “The public's health and safety remain the topmost priorities of the DOTr.
This is one way to stop transmitting COVID-19," says DOTr Assistant Secretary for Road Transport and Infrastructure Mark De Leon. Memorandum Circular 2020-018 of the DOTr-LTFRB orders taxi and Transportation Network Vehicle Service (TNVS) operators in areas under a general community quarantine (GCQ) to give their passengers cashless or digital payment options and help contain the spread of COVID-19.
“Cashless payment in taxis and TNVS is part of the 'new normal,' and we are glad that our drivers and operators have options such as PayMaya,” noted LTFRB Chairman Martin Delgra III.
PayMaya is offering taxi and trans¬port network companies, as well as their drivers, its QR scan-to-pay (STP) capabilities via its mobile app. This will prompt access to a digital financial account that they can use for transactions such as bills payments, airtime load reloading, and sending money to friends and family.
Drivers and transport operators may also receive contactless payments through credit, debit, and prepaid cards via tap-to-pay technology through the digital payment solutions of PayMaya.
Transport operators may also use PayMaya’s PayOut disbursement solution for the easy distribution of salaries and other incentives to their drivers’ respective PayMaya accounts.
Aside from providing more cashless payment options, PUV drivers and operators will also have an opportunity to use the app's features and technology to gradually recover from financial losses brought about by the pandemic.
“In the ‘new normal’, we must help everyone adapt to new and safer ways to lead our lives, and that includes the transportation industry,” remarked PayMaya Founder and CEO Orlando B. Vea.
The DOTr, and the LTFRB also recently recognized GCash for offering PUV drivers and operators the use of its digital fare payment scheme. The agencies are also encouraging other online payment service providers, such as Squidpay and Beep, to make their services available to PUV companies, drivers and passengers.