After the government decided on implementing new measures on transportation, including the use of contactless solutions for fare transactions, financial technology player GCash has stepped up to collaborate with taxi operators to allow the riding public to pay for their metered fares via their mobile wallets.
GCash said it will “empower” taxi drivers to accept digital payments through its scan-to-pay via QR solution, which only requires users to scan the unique code of the taxi unit they are riding to pay for their fares.
It is also offering taxi operators its enterprise solution called GCash PowerPay+, which is a disbursement facility for salaries, allowances and commissions.
“GCash strongly supports the government’s call for the use of mobile payments to lessen the risk of spreading Covid-19 through surfaces such as paper money,” GCash Head of Payments Jovitt Bajar said.
Bajar explained that aside from reducing the security risks in cash handling, GCash’s payments and disbursement facilities are more transparent, while it also promotes accountability. He further noted that using cashless solutions for transactions are “safer than cash,” especially since paper money may retain viruses and bacteria on their surfaces for a period of time.
To recall, the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) issued on Friday Memorandum Circular (MC) 2020-018, allowing the resumption of taxi operations in areas under the general community quarantine (GCQ). They were also required to accept digital payments to promote cashless transactions.
Bajar noted that collaborating with taxi operators will further promote financial inclusion in the Philippines, where only 3 out of 10 adults are considered banked. He explained that through GCash, drivers now have access to financial tools, such as savings, credit, insurance and even investments.
“The implementation of cashless transactions for transportation in the new normal promotes greater accountability, transparency and efficiency. It also allows drivers to participate in the financial landscape through financial technology. As a strong government partner, GCash fully supports this initiative and we are more than willing to pour in more support to other government endeavors,” he said.
Busted
IN a related development, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has arrested three suspects in Quezon City for alleged violations of the Cybercrime Prevention Act and estafa after they reportedly swindled money from their victims, whose identities were also stolen. The arrests were made possible with the assistance of GCash, a leading mobile wallet in the Philippines.
Law enforcers nabbed suspects Joselito Floresca, Antonino Guevarra, and Henry Lachica for allegedly stealing money from a number of individuals. The three suspects pretended to be GCash, Grab, Lalamove, or Mr. Speedy employees. They convinced their victims that their accounts were compromised and pretended to assist them in fixing their accounts.
They asked their victims of their personal details, including the account number, mobile personal identification number (MPIN), one-time password (OTP), authentication code, birthday and e-mail addresses. Believing they are for real, the victims gave the details needed to gain access to their accounts.
Criminal charges will be filed against the suspects for violating Republic Act 10175, or the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 and Republic Act 315 (Swindling) of the Revised Penal Code.
Image credits: Aldar Darmaev | Dreamstime.com
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