The initiative will have an initial trial period of three months, allowing users to gradually adapt to this new payment method.
The countdown has begun for the elimination of single currency (bills and coins) on all buses operating between Temuco and Padre Las Casas in Chile. This was announced by the Minister of Transport and Telecommunications, Juan Carlos Muñoz, who, along with local authorities, launched the new electronic payment system on the 10 services operating in the conurbation.
Starting today, residents of the Araucanía Region will be able to pay for their fares with a card designed by the community itself—through a citizen consultation—as well as with credit and debit cards, Cuenta RUT cards and the National Student Card (TNE).
The Minister of Transport and Telecommunications, Juan Carlos Muñoz, stated: “Starting today, this is a reality in Temuco and Padre Las Casas. The city’s 850 buses will begin accepting digital payments. This can be done with a card, which has an image chosen by the users themselves. Additionally, seniors will be able to pay 50% of the fare by registering at designated service points, and students will use the TNE with 33% of the fare, registering their folio on the Bipay website. Payments can also be made by credit card, debit card, RUT account, and with the Bipay app, which is already in use, and the Red Regional app soon. This is a great step for the conurbation, and we will continue working to improve public transportation in the region.”
The Regional Presidential Delegate of La Araucanía, Eduardo Abdala, stated: “We are very pleased and satisfied to launch this electronic collection plan. We would like to thank the Ministry of Transportation for its commitment to placing Temuco Padre Las Casas at the center of the national needs to improve public transportation. This also puts us in a position to reduce the frequency of private vehicles, and in that context, we believe this is the solution.”
Meanwhile, the Mayor of Temuco, Roberto Neira, stated: “Today, as an authority, it is my duty to say that the Ministry of Transportation has met the deadlines that were stated to us at some point, which first involved the installation and implementation of the exclusion perimeter with the corresponding applications, with the passenger counters, with the modernization of the Temuco public transportation operating system. If you stand on a street corner, download the application, which I constantly do to verify that this is working, and indeed today we have an application. We have public transportation that allows people to plan their trips and that also allows them to leave their vehicles at home. Over time, citizens will have to get used to this. The second step was what we have today, this launch, which was electronic payment, which allows payment with cards or digital means and which also modernizes the system, provides greater security for drivers and also provides greater security for those who travel by public transportation. It is a very important step in this modernization that had already begun.”
