LRT, MRT fare hikes deferred

GOOD news for the commuters of the country’s mass rail systems: the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) has deferred the implementation of the planned fare hike to November. ”The fare hike for MRT [Metro Rail Transit] and LRT [Light Rail Transit] may not happen this month,” Dante Velasco, undersecretary for Public Information of DOTC told reporters over the weekend.

The MRT, also known as the MRT 3, traverses EDSA from North Avenue in Quezon City to Taft Avenue in Pasay City, while the LRT
Line 1 crosses Taft and Rizal Avenues from Monumento in Caloocan City to Baclaran in Pasay City. Meanwhile, the LRT Line 2 stretches from Santolan in Pasig City to Recto Avenue in Manila.

Velasco said that the Light Rail Transit Authority and the Transportation Science Group from the University of the Philippines have yet to complete the fare hike study.

He added that there will be public consultations before the implementation of the MRT 3 and LRT fare hikes.

Velasco, however, assured that the increase in fare will be “affordable” since the government is looking for other ways to generate revenues.

He said that the new fare is not higher than the fares for airconditioned buses.

The government subsidy amounts to P48 a passenger since the MRT 3 operator only charges P10 to P15 each commuter for a one-way trip.

The DOTC earlier said the national government is shelling out P5 billion a year to operate and maintain the MRT 3.

For next year’s budget, the Aquino administration has increased the MRT 3 fare subsidy to P7.3 billion compared to the annual subsidy of P5.4 billion.

The MRT 3 fare subsidy will come from the budget of the DOTC, which amounts to P32.4 billion from P17.2 billion this year.

The LRT Line 1 charges P12 for the first four stations and P15 for the rest of the route.

The LRT Line 2, on the other hand, imposes a fare of P12 for the first three stations, P13 for four to six stations, P14 for seven to nine stations, and P15 for 10 stations. –DARWIN G. AMOJELAR SENIOR REPORTER, Manila Times