YANGON, May 26 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar's Yangon region government is planning to introduce card payment system with buses to replace the cash box system to solve the problem of notes shortage.
Passengers using the new Yangon Bus Service (YBS) bus lines have to drop the fare into a cash box. However, there have been complaints of dropping torn, counterfeit and damaged notes and some passengers even do not pay the full fare, finding a payment gap of 50 percent in the cash box, according to the official Global New Light of Myanmar on Friday.
Yangon Region Chief Minister U Phyo Min Thein called for implementing the card payment system within three months to eliminate the shortage of small notes and the need for bus conductors.
The authorities have invited local and foreign joint-venture companies to bid for tender for operating related card payment services since last year that include card issuing, card acquiring and card top-up agency.
Aimed for better transport service and less traffic congestion, the regional government introduced the new YBS system in January last year, under which the number of bus lines was initially cut from more than 300 to 70.
The YBS runs over 5,000 buses serving over 2 million passengers daily.
