After reaching the 5-millionth card sold and recording the one-billionth transaction, AF Payments Inc.’s tap-and-go payment system beep card will expand its services to retail.

“The move from cash to cashless takes years,” said Peter Maher, president and CEO of AF Payments Inc.

Until recently, beep was used exclusively at LRT and MRT stations. It then extended to the point-to-point (P2P) buses as well as buses plying the route of BGC. beep cards are now accepted in PUVs like modern jeepneys and e-trikes within the walled city of Intramuros. The beep system has recently been introduced in Mindanao via Husky Tours, which operates a fleet of buses between General Santos and Cotabato.

Maher also revealed the company’s plan to extend its transport payment services to provinces outside of Luzon by forging partnerships with bus companies.

“Transportation has been and will continue to be our core strength,” Maher said. “The government’s focus on developing the industry for the benefit of commuters nationwide encourages us to work harder to support Filipino commuters and transport operators.”

As part of its expansion of Automated Fare Collection services, beep collaborated with Property Company of Friends (PRO-FRIENDS) to offer beep-enabled resident identification cards for access to transportation within its communities in Cavite, which include Lancaster New City and Bellefort Estates. In 2018, St. Jude Catholic School became the first beep-integrated educational institution with beep-enabled ID cards that allow students to purchase from merchants inside the campus and avail themselves of student discounts when they take public buses and PUVs using beep cards.

Reloading

It will also broaden its products to cater to the needs of transport operators and will soon introduce cash and ticketing collection, fixed fare and distance-based payment schemes.

In 2019, beep is working on becoming not just a transport payment card but an e-wallet where people can pay for goods and other services using the beep card. Today, customers of Auntie Anne’s, Binalot, Mr. Donut, Siomai House, and Worship Generation can pay for their purchases with the beep card.

beep is also adding more reloading methods aside from the ones in the train stations. It partnered with Coins.ph and EON by Unionbank to offer mobile app and over-the-air (OTA) reloading. China Bank will also be offering beep reloading through ATMs initially to its customers.

The beep app is the company’s response to card users who want to check their load balance without having to line up to the reloading machine.