The Department of Transportation (DoTr) said Thursday that it will implement an e-ticketing system at Batangas Port, the largest in the country.

In an ambush interview, DoTr Secretary Vince Dizon announced that the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) will soon implement an e-ticketing system to prevent passengers from queuing and waiting too long.

“There will be many kiosks, it’s will be very nice especially for our passengers... It can provide convenience for passengers as they won’t need to queue,” Dizon said during his inspection at the Batangas Port.

“Sometimes the ticketing booths are not yet open and tickets are not yet sold so others would have to wait outside while the booths are still closed. But with e-ticketing, they can go straight inside,” Dizon added.

'Even though this is the biggest, we must be ready to expand. Because you know, that as our population grows, more Filipinos would want to travel more often.'

The DoTr official also noted that the e-ticketing system will prevent transactions with fixers, or those individuals who unofficially transact with passengers for a free, bypassing legitimate procedures or regulations.

Further, Dizon said the e-ticketing system will also prevent overloading as they could easily check the capacity of the ships.

Dizon said the new system will be rolled out in time for the Christmas rush.

According to the Philippine Ports Authority, about 1.73 million travelers are expected to flock to public transport nationwide this coming Holy Week.

The said numbers are 3.5 percent higher compared to the 1.67 million passengers logged by PPA ports last year.

“Even though this is the biggest, we must be ready to expand. Because you know, that as our population grows, more Filipinos would want to travel more often,” Dizon added.

The Batangas Port typically caters to around 20,000 to 25,000 passengers daily during peak season.