GCash, the leading mobile wallet in the Philippines, has strengthened its partnership with the Department of Transportation-Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (DOTR-LTFRB) to promote cashless payments in the transportation sector, as the government implements more stringent health and safety measures amid the implementation of a more lenient community quarantine in certain areas.
Through this partnership, GCash will empower taxi drivers to accept digital payments through the revolutionary Scan to Pay (STP) via QR technology of GCash. Through this platform, GCash users only need to scan the unique QR code of the taxi unit they are riding to pay for their metered fare.
GCash is also offering the GCash PowerPay+ solution to taxi operators. This platform is a funds disbursement facility that enables companies to send out salary, allowances and commissions via GCash to their employees or members nationwide.
Aside from lessening the security risk in cash handling, the GCash’s payments and disbursement facilities promote transparency, accountability, and is much safer than cash, which, just like any other surface, is found to harbor bacteria and viruses for days.
“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. We laud the strong and wise decision of DOTr Secretary Arthur Tugade and LTFRB Chairman Martin Delgra III in implementing the cashless payments program, as we move forward to the new normal,” GCash Head of Payments Jovitt Bajar said.
Taxi operators, under LTFRB Memorandum Circular (MC) No. 2020-018, are allowed to resume operations in areas under General Community Quarantine (GCQ). They are required to accept digital payments to promote cashless transactions.
GCash is now collaborating with various taxi operators nationwide to implement this new normal. GCash offers taxi operators and drivers a reliable platform that will allow them to comply with the new rules for the new normal, while also promoting financial inclusion for their drivers.
Aside from being a mobile wallet, GCash provides its users democratized access to different financial tools and services such as savings through GSave, credit facilities through GCredit, insurance through GCash Insurance, and investments through Invest Money.
GCash users may also use their GCash accounts to pay for their transactions both online and offline, transact with over 70,000 billers and merchants, as well as transfer funds to over 40 banks in the country. The App can now be accessed by Globe and TM users even without load and for non-smartphone users through *143#.0
“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,” Bajar said.
Globe Fintech Innovations Inc. (Mynt), which operates GCash, is part of the portfolio companies of 917Ventures, the largest corporate incubator in the Philippines wholly-owned by Globe Telecom Inc.