MANILA — Metro Rail Transit-Line 3 management said in an advisory to media that it would extend the rail line’s free ride program until the end of May.
“Passengers will be able to continue enjoying free rides at the rehabilitated MRT-3 line until 30 May 2022, anytime between the rail line’s operating hours from 4:40 a.m. and 10:10 p.m.,” the advisory reads.
The program, which was due to expire on April 30, was intended to showcase the rail line’s recent rehabilitation and restore public’s confidence in the train.
“The ridership of the MRT-3 has improved…Before the pandemic, [it was just] 260,000. And although there was a pandemic, the ridership reached 280,000. And now, the MRT-3 can board 300,000 safely,” Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade was quoted as saying.
Commuters on social media complained about long lines at MRT-3 stations during the first few weeks of the program, prompting the management to deploy four-car trains during peak hours to go with the usual three-car trains.
Commuters flocked to the EDSA Bus Carousel, which did not have the capacity to support the increased demand during the line’s scheduled maintenance for Holy Week, which includes Holy Wednesday, a working day before a long weekend.
The suspension of maintenance on the MRT-3 occurred concurrently with the suspension of operations on the Light Rail Transit-Line 2, thus exacerbating the commuter situation. The Light Rail Transit Authority stated that the two rail lines did not bother coordinating before suspending operations at the same time on a working day.
As a result, public transit was disrupted, forcing several commuters to walk home.
According to MRT-3 General Manager Michael Capati, the increased ridership of MRT-3 and the return to on-site work has allowed the rail line “to further test its capacity and performance.”
“We saw a definite increase in our ridership when we implemented the free ride in MRT-3. So it was also productive on our part because we were able to test the capacity and performance of our fully rehabilitated railway system,” he said.
From 28 March to 26 April 2022, MRT-3 recorded an average weekday ridership of 306,986, a 26.9 percent increase from the average weekday ridership of 241,800 prior to the start of the free program in March.
On April 8, the highest single-day ridership was recorded when 335,993 passengers took the MRT-3, a 19.4% increase from the record-high 258,989 ridership logged on 25 March before the program.
An average weekday ridership of 250,000 to 300,000 was recorded by the MRT-3 prior to the pandemic.
To augment the line’s capacity, MRT-3 Management will continue deploying four-car CKD train sets — which can accommodate up to 1,576 passengers — during peak hours.
It is unclear how the line’s management intends to offset the loss in revenue for another month.
Capati stated at the start of the program on March 28 that the MRT-3 collects around P2.7 million a day while it also has a P23.1 billion under the General Appropriations Act that can be used.
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