More than 50 foreign companies are looking to participate in the Department of Transportation’s (DOTr) push to overhaul the country’s public transit payment system.

Transportation Acting Secretary Giovanni Lopez said Monday the government is pushing for a modern payment platform that would make commuting more convenient and reliable for the riding public.

Among the projects drawing interest are the Philippine Automated Fare Collection System (PAFCS) concession under the government’s Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Program, the Automated Fare Collection System component of the Davao Public Transport Modernization Project, and a broader Intelligent Transport Systems contract.

Participating firms came from Japan, China, Singapore, South Korea, India, Indonesia, Turkey, Pakistan, the United States, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Spain, Austria, Switzerland, Sweden, and Finland, among others.

“Millions of Filipinos commute every day, and DOTr is fully committed to building a fare collection system that is seamless, secure, and future-ready that every commuter can rely on,” Lopez said.

Undersecretary for Railways Timothy John Batan said the strong turnout from prospective bidders reflected growing confidence in the Philippine transport sector.

“Over fifty companies in a market sounding is very encouraging, and we look forward to a successful tender and award of this PAFCS concession,” Batan said.

The PAFCS project aims to create a unified fare collection system covering railways, buses, and future transport modes.

The platform is expected to support cards, QR codes, mobile phones, and other smart devices, allowing commuters to use a single payment system across different modes of transport.

Meanwhile, the Davao Public Transport Modernization Project is being positioned as a pilot initiative to modernize public transportation in Davao City through a safer and more efficient transit network backed by financing from the Asian Development Bank. Its automated fare collection package forms part of the larger Davao Bus Project.