150K MRT ‘ghost riders’ taking gov’t for a ride

Taxpayers are shouldering the subsidy of the daily 150,000 “ghost riders” of Metro Rail Transit 3 (MRT-3) for the past few years, a senator yesterday revealed.

“Essentially, taxpayers are shouldering the fare subsidy of 650,000 passengers but since only 500,000 show up daily, there are, in effect, 150,000 ‘ghost riders,’” Sen. Ralph Recto noted.

The government is paying for riders who are non-existent, he stressed.

The senator took note of this information as he stood opposed to the called fare increase by the Department of Transportation and Communications (DoTC).

Instead, the chairman of the Senate ways and means committee said the government should invest in procuring more train coaches to maximize the ridership potential of the railway system and, in the process, turn in a decent return of investment.

The MRT Line 3 from North Avenue in Quezon City to Taft Avenue in Pasay City is actually good for a daily ridership of 650,000 but only about 500,000 or even less are serviced daily due to lack of coaches, he pointed out.

The projected 650,000 commuters daily are factored in when government allocates its annual subsidy for MRT-3.

“We are subsidizing the phantom fare of 150,000 ‘ghost riders’ with or without them on the trains,” he added.

Fare rates for the MRT-3 have been kept low over the years due to the subsidy provided by government, which averages to P5 billion a year.

For next year, the fare subsidy is pegged at P7.3 billion from this year’s subsidy of P5.4 billion.

The allocation effectively increases the subsidy per passenger from the current P45 to P47.77 per commuter or up by P2.70 per passenger.

The current fare rate in MRT-3 is P11 to P14, depending on the distance but proposals call for a fare hike that would bring the fare rate to P20-P25.

The mass transit railway line that runs along Edsa earns only an estimated P1.8 billion a year.

According to Recto, the subsidy could be significantly reduced if government would invest in spanking new coaches to address the current shortage and finally “capture” the 150,000 “ghost riders.”

“There is an acute shortage of coaches. The MRT-3 is no longer living up to its promise as a safe and convenient way to reach one’s destination,” he stressed.

“The 150,000 ‘ghost’ commuters have yet to actually ride the MRT-3 but the train system is already creaking with congestion,” Recto said.

He added with the increase in volume of passengers due to the new coaches, the MRT-3 would be able to make some modest profit and gradually scale down its subsidy dependence.

“This way, the need for fare hikes would be lessened,” Recto stressed.

Earlier, Recto urged government to re-evaluate plans to increase the fare rates in the MRT-3 and also in the two lines of the Light Rail Transit (LRT).

“If the increase seeks to unburden the government of the subsidy it provides to these mass transport systems, then I oppose the plan for being ill-conceived. But if it will be used to improve the services of the MRT and LRT, then further discussions are in order,” Recto said.

He said the government may be courting a “commuter revolt” if it proceeds to hike the fare rates of these rail systems without improving their operations for the benefit of the riding public.

The senator said MRT and LRT passengers who are used to paying a subsidized rate would find it very difficult to shell out more of their hard-earned money without seeing any discernible enhancement in their riding experience. –Angie M. Rosales, Daily Tribune