Mastercard tap-to-pay expands to Metro Manila's P2P buses
Jason Crasto, country manager for the Philippines at Mastercard Inc., left, and Steeve Mago, chief executive officer of Delta NeoSolutions Inc., mark the launch of contactless “Tap & Go” payments for point-to-point buses in Metro Manila.
Mastercard Inc. and Delta NeoSolutions Inc. have rolled out contactless "Tap & Go" payment technology on select point-to-point bus routes in Metro Manila, the latest move in a broader push to digitize the Philippines’ fragmented transit infrastructure.
In a joint statement on Tuesday, Feb. 24, Mastercard Inc. and Delta NeoSolutions said their partnership allows passengers to pay fares using Mastercard-branded credit, debit, and prepaid cards.
The service is currently operational on the route connecting UP Town Center in Quezon City to the One Ayala terminal in Makati City, one of the capital's busiest commuter corridors.
The initiative leverages an open-loop fare collection system, which allows commuters to bypass proprietary transit cards in favor of the payment tools they already carry. Beyond physical cards, the system supports digital wallets on NFC-enabled Android smartphones.
The backend technology is powered by ADAPTIS, a payment acceptance platform managed by NTT DATA Payment Services Philippines Inc.
Steeve Mago, Delta NeoSolutions, chief executive officer, said the move responds to a shift in how urban commuters expect to interact with transport services.
Modernizing bus operations is a priority as land transport becomes more digitized, Mago said, noting that the goal is to make the daily commute more efficient for Filipinos who have long dealt with cash-heavy transit systems.
The adoption of open-loop payments in Metro Manila mirrors a global trend where cities like London, New York, and Singapore have integrated bank cards into their turnstiles. In the Philippines, this deployment follows similar successful rollouts across the MRT-3 rail line and the Bonifacio Global City Bus network.
Jason Crasto, Mastercard country manager for the Philippines, said digital payments are fundamental to the evolution of urban mobility.
Providing seamless payment options helps create a more connected transport network while addressing the friction often associated with manual fare collection, Crasto said.
He added that the system incorporates advanced security protocols to mitigate risks such as skimming and fraud.
While the current rollout is limited to specific routes, Delta NeoSolutions plans to expand the capability across its wider network of P2P buses.