Gas stations and toll booths are shaping up for the first stage of implementation of the Digital Economy Law for Digital and Electronic Payments , published on November 4 in the Official Gazette of the Federation (DOF) and which came into effect on November 5. This law will mark a change in the financial operation of transportation in Mexico , forcing the sector to modify its payment mechanisms and manage its cash flows differently.
In an interview with T21, Luis Alfredo Hernández Arámburo, professor in the Department of Finance and Business Economics at EGADE Business School of Tecnológico de Monterrey , explained that among the provisions established by said law in its article 13 is that the Ministry of Finance and Public Credit (SHCP) must determine, within 15 business days from its entry into force, the first sectors required to operate with digital means .
“The most frequently mentioned are gas stations and toll booths. For passenger or freight transport, this means that the first change will not be in fare collection, but in fuel and toll payments,” the specialist explained.
According to the DOF, once the Ministry of Finance publishes this determination, the competent authorities of each sector will have another 15 business days to issue their own administrative provisions , which must establish the conditions, requirements and deadlines for the gradual transition from cash to digital means, according to article 14.
However, Hernández clarified that the initial impact on transportation companies will not be on service fees, but rather on their most recurring operating expenses, such as fuel and tolls. This means that companies will need to ensure their drivers and vehicles have access to electronic payment methods to cover both costs .
Liquidity, the first challenge
One of the main challenges will be cash management during the transition. Hernández Arámburo pointed out that while carriers have to pay for fuel and tolls digitally, but continue to receive cash for their services, it will create a mismatch in their operating cash flows.
“If fares continue to be collected in cash and fuel is paid for digitally, the operator has to deposit the cash collected daily in order to be able to refuel,” he explained.
This situation could represent additional costs in time, travel and security, particularly for owner-operators, small carriers and independent operators, who do not necessarily have an administrative or financial structure that allows them to make deposits and transfers immediately.
This presents a challenge for achieving the transition to digital payments. According to the 2024 National Survey of Financial Inclusion (ENIF) by the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (Inegi) , 85.2% of the population aged 18 to 70 uses cash for purchases up to 500 pesos.
To address this problem, the academic considered it necessary to expand cash deposit points, through banking correspondents and convenience stores, so that operators can convert their cash income into available resources in their accounts without having to deviate from their routes.
Digitalization could also represent an opportunity to improve access to financing. The specialist explained that recurring fuel payments will leave a verifiable record of carriers’ activity, information that could be used by financial institutions to demonstrate their income-generating capacity and facilitate the granting of loans.
Gas stations and kiosks, the first links in the chain
The selection of these establishments as potential first participants is also due to the fact that they already have the infrastructure to receive electronic payments . In the case of toll booths, there are payment systems using cards and TAG devices, while service stations can incorporate terminals and electronic transfers.
The challenge will be ensuring connectivity along the highways, especially in sections where there is no cell phone coverage. Hernández Arámburo believes that alternatives such as satellite internet could help keep payment systems available in these areas.
Another aspect will be the cost of transactions . To prevent the measure from increasing logistical costs, financial institutions will need to maintain competitive fees and businesses will need to be able to accept digital payments without passing on excessive costs to users.
The next step: digitizing fare collection
A second phase could extend to public passenger transport, particularly to concessioned systems that still rely heavily on cash for fare collection. However, the expert cautioned that this transition will require different conditions than those for gas stations and toll booths .
For transport companies, receiving digital payments would reduce expenses associated with counting, safeguarding, and transporting cash, as well as provide more accurate records of income per unit and route.
Operators could also reduce their exposure to theft. However, they would need their own bank accounts and transparent mechanisms for distributing the revenue collected.
The main obstacle will be in low-value fares , where commissions can represent a significant proportion of revenue. Therefore, the professor considered it essential to have very low or zero-cost collection mechanisms, as well as immediate settlements, so that companies have the necessary resources to cover fuel, maintenance, and other daily expenses.
Added to this are the technological needs: payment terminals, software , integration with accounting systems and electronic invoicing, as well as equipment that can record transactions offline and transmit them later.
User inclusion will also be crucial. A transition that eliminates cash without offering alternatives to those without bank accounts, cards, or smartphones could limit access to public transportation.
In that regard, the academic pointed out that the law contemplates, in article 15, the possibility of using cash or check when there is a contingency that prevents receiving digital payments , although these situations cannot become a permanent justification for not complying with the provisions.
The digitalization of transport, therefore, will not depend solely on companies incorporating terminals or payment applications. It will also require connectivity, immediate liquidity, affordable fees, and mechanisms that allow for the integration of users and operators who still rely on cash.
For the logistics sector, the change will begin at two key points in its cost chain . Its implementation will test the financial adaptability of companies, particularly small carriers, before any eventual expansion of the measure includes charging for mobility services.
The new law consists of 22 articles and five transitional provisions applicable throughout the country, and its objective, according to article 1 of the decree, is to promote the adoption and implementation of Digital and Electronic Payment Methods.
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