Cebu Province to launch Suroy-Suroy cards soon

Cebu Provincial Governor Gwendolyn Garcia (right) holds a Suroy-Suroy card which will be launched soon in the bus terminals in partnership with Topline Express represented by its President and CEO Eric Lim. | Delta Letigio

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Travelling to different destinations in the province of Cebu will soon be cashless and automated as the Cebu Provincial Government is partnering with a private transportation company for a card that would be used as an automated form of payment at the North and South Bus Terminals.

In a press conference on Wednesday, November 4, 2020, Governor Gwendolyn Garcia said that the Suroy-Suroy card is a beep card which can be used to “tap-up” a payment or pay through tapping a machine provided in the terminals.

Garcia said that Topline Express was granted the right to design, construct, and operate ticketing booths, electronic turnstile gates; to provide an automated ticket validation system for the two terminals; and issue the electronic reloadable cards.

They were granted such after they submitted an unsolicited proposal to the provincial government

The Suroy-Suroy card will be available for P100 with a P30 refundable deposit and a P70 usable load. The card will be used as a cashless method of payment at the terminals.

A QR code system will be used for the tickets with two features, a printed one that can be used to be tapped on the entrances of the loading areas, and a mobile application format to lessen the time needed to line up for the tickets.

The system is still subject to changes and smoothening out by Topline Express.

Cebu’s Suroy-Suroy card.

The contract between the Provincial Government and Topline will last for 10 years with the former receiving 2 percent of the total revenues of the transport operators for the use of the terminal on the second year.

On the first year, the Provincial Government will receive a non-refundable success fee of P100,000.

“Wala tay gasto ani, mo-earn pa ta. (We are not spending anything for this, yet we are going to earn.) As we raise it up to the next level, with the use of beep cards, we also will be earning additional revenues,” said Garcia.

As for the bus operators, this new project may cost them a minimal amount, as they will be paying a convenience fee of P1.50 to P2.50 per passenger depending on the fare.

For tickets or fares costing below P60, the convenience fee the bus operator has to pay will be P1.50, while tickets or fares costing above P60 will be a P2.50 convenience fee for them.

Garcia assured that though this minimal convenience fee will be paid by the bus liner, the passengers will not be affected as the ticket prices or the bus fares will remain the same.

Eric Lim, Topline Express president and CEO, said that the Suroy-Suroy card will feature the iconic landmarks or tourism symbols of every local government unit (LGU) in Cebu.

He added that the goal of Topline is to showcase the beauty of Cebu and encourage both local and foreign tourists to use public transport when travelling to tourist destinations.

The Cebu Provincial Government is still smoothing out the Memorandum of Agreement with Topline. Upon signing, the company will only need four months to set up the system.

Garcia said that hopefully by March or April 2021, the system will already be up and running. /rcg