MANILA – The Department of Transportation (DOTr) is set to refile a petition for fare adjustments for the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3), citing the need to obtain more funds to ensure the efficiency of services of the train that traverses the Epifanio delos Santos Avenue (EDSA).
DOTr Undersecretary for Railways Cesar B. Chavez said the petition will be filed on Monday, July 3, before the agency’s Rail Regulatory Unit (RRU) which earlier deferred the fare hike due to “infirmities in complying with the requirements and procedure.”
The last fare hike for MRT-3 was approved eight years ago.
The announcement came a few weeks after the DOTr said the fare hikes for Light Rail Transit (LRT) Line 1 (Baclaran to Monumento) and Line 2 (Antipolo City to Manila) were already approved and will be implemented next month.
“It has been eight years since the Light Rail Transit’s (LRT) Lines 1 and 2 adjusted its fares, so a train fare adjustment would mean more trains running and passengers being served better,” said Chavez.
He explained that LRT-1 and LRT-2 deserve a modest fare increase after petitions were denied for the past eight years.
Chavez bared that the actual rates for end-to-end travel at the LRT-2 from Antipolo to Recto costs P178 per passenger, but only P30 is being charged.
He said the same applies for the actual cost of end-to-end train rides at the LRT-1, Chavez said, stressing that LRT-1’s operator Light Rail Manila Corporation (LRMC) has been asking for a fare increase since 2016.
“The approval is not only necessary, beneficial and practical for both the LRT operators and commuters, but also for the country as well. Let’s make the rail system sustainable to build more and to serve more,” said Chavez.
The DOTr’s Rail Regulatory Unit (RRU) had previously approved the petitions seeking to increase the train boarding fee by P2.29 with an additional 21 centavos for every kilometer travelled at the LRT-1 and LRT-2.
With this, the LRT-1 and LRT-2’s minimum boarding fee would be adjusted to P13.29, which is originally P11, and P1.21 per kilometer for every kilometer travelled, which is originally P1 per kilometer. (MB)
