Senator Francis Tolentino said Tuesday, July 7, that the Department of Transportation (DOTr) should also consider implementing cashless transaction in the country's railways to reduce the transmission of COVID-19.

Tolentino said he was puzzled why the government did not implement contactless payment schemes in the Metro Rail Transit (MRT-3) when it had insisted its use in public utility vehicles (PUVs) that were allowed to operate amid the community quarantine.

The MRT-3 suspended its operations after 198 of its personnel were found infected with COVID-19.  This included ticket sellers assigned in some of the rail system's busiest stations.

"Doon ako nagtataka, eh (That is where I am confused). DOTr, with all due respect to my good friend Sec. Tugade, has always been insisting on cashless transaction for jeepeneys, point-to-point vehicles, buses, even Grab -- eh, bakit 'di tayo mag-cashless transaction sa MRT-3 and other trains (so why don't we implement cashless transaction in MRT-3 and other trains)?" Tolentino told reporters in an online interview. 

Tolentino said this way, ticket sellers will minimize their interaction with commuters and speed up transactions in the train stations.

"Magkaroon ng isang sistema na pag pumunta ka doon, bayad ka na (There should be a system where in passengers will just go there but they are already paid). They're planning to have that implemented amongst jeepneys, eh bakit hindi ma-implement sa MRT-3 (why can't they implement it in the MRT-3)?" he said.

"'Yon iyong nakikita kong mga pagbabago na pwedeng gawin diyan plus of course, 'yong teller natin dapat well protected, merong barrier, then naka gloves sila," he added.

MRT-3 operations are currently suspended from July 7 until July 11. The government asked the passengers who had direct contact with the infected MRT-3 personnel to check themselves for symptoms and report to health authorities.