MANILA - The government on Friday urged commuters to reload the tap-and-go beep cards they use for Metro Manila's trains in shopping malls and pawnshops to cut long lines in train stations.

Located within 200 meters from train stations, the 76 reloading stations are located in SM Bills payment centers and in Tambunting and Villarica pawnshops, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) said in a statement.

By September, reloading will also be available in 1,100 branches of 7-11, Mini Stop and Family Mart convenience stores and in 300 Bayad Centers.

The DOTr also appealed to commuters to buy stored value tickets to avoid long queues. Up to 45 percent of train raids are made with single journey cards.

Since April 2016, "Beep" cards have been reloaded or topped up 50,000 times in areas outside the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3) and Lines 1 and 2 of the Light Rail Transit (LRT).

The payment system, introduced in October 2015, is being a run by a joint venture between Ayala Corp. and Metro Pacific Investments Inc.