LRT, MRT fare hikes approved

MANILA, Philippines—(UPDATE 3) The government has approved the new rates for Metro Manila’s train lines, which will take effect by the first week of March.

In a briefing late Tuesday, the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) said that passengers taking the both train lines would have to shell out a boarding fee of P11. They will also be charged another P1 for every kilometer.

However, single journey tickets will only be sold in P15, P20 and P30 denominations. This means that short trips of about four kilometers will cost P15, five to nine kilometers will cost P20 and P30 trips longer than this.

The denominations were chosen to ensure the fast giving of change to passengers and therefore, a fast turnover at the line.

Those that buy P100 stored-value tickets will be able to use the full value of their tickets.

DOTC Undersecretary Dante Velasco said the higher rates would mean better services for commuters. These improvements will include shorter waiting times, cleaner facilities and faster trains.

The provisional fare hike, which will still be subjected to public consultations, was approved by the LRT board and the DOTC, which has been operating the MRT.

“This will still have to go through a public consultation because we’re expecting some reactions,” he told reporters.

The current fare for the MRT line, which spans along the Epifanio de los Santos Avenue, is currently at P10 for the first three stations, P11 for four to five stations, P12 pesos for six to eight stations, P14 for 9 to11 stations and P15 for 12 stations or the entire line.

As a result of the new fares, travelling the entire length of the MRT station, a total of 17 kilometers (from Taft to North Avenue), would cost P28 if using stored-value tickets. Fare on the LRT line 1 will cost the maximum of P30 for the entire 20-kilometer line (from Baclaran to Roosevelt) and P25 for the LRT line 2’s 14 kilometers (from Recto to Santolan).

On the LRT lines, the fares are as follows: P12 for the first stations and P15 for the rest of the route while stored value (SV) ticket holders will be charged P12 for the first four (4) stations, P13 for five to eight stations, P14 for nine to12 stations and Php15 for 13 to 15 stations.

The government wants to raise train fares to reduce the state’s subsidies to fund MRT and LRT operations. The DOTC said it could save an estimated P1.2 billion a year as a result of the fare increase.

The MRT is used by about 500,000 people every day. The LRT line 1 has a daily ridership of over half a million while the LRT line 2 is used by around 250,000 people every day. –Paolo Montecillo, Philippine Daily Inquirer