During the public hearing on Friday, February 17, petitioners for train fare adjustments—Light Rail Manila Corporation (LRMC) for Light Rail Transit Line 1 (LRT-1), Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA) for LRT-2 and DOTr-Metro Rail Transit-3 (MRT-3)—claimed that revenues from increased fares can enable them to improve, rehabilitate and maintain their facilities and rolling stocks.
However, the fare hike is nothing but an added burden to commuters and taxpayers, argued multisectoral group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN).
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Approving the fare hikes of LRT 1 and 2, as well as MRT3, will add to the woes of over 800,000 commuters who depend on these mass transport systems.
Last year, MRT-3 averaged 273,141 commuters per day, or over 98 million commuters in 2022. LRT-1 averaged 251,000 commuters per day; LRT-2, 300,000 commuters per day.
LRT-1 and LRT-2 are petitioning for an additional P2.29 increase in boarding fee and P0.21 for the next kilometer.
