MANILA, Philippines— The Department of Transportation (DOTr) approved petitions to increase ticket prices at the Light Rail Transit Lines 1 and 2 (LRT-1 and LRT-2), which will be implemented on Wednesday.
Single-journey tickets at LRT-1 and LRT-2 will now cost at least P15 each. With an additional P1.21 per km, ticket prices can reach up to P35 per ticket.
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Meanwhile, stored-value cards, otherwise known as Beep cards, will be priced at a minimum of P13.29 and a maximum of P35. This is a P2.29 increase from the previous price of P11.
Traveling through LRT-1 from Baclaran to Roosevelt will cost P35 for both single-journey tickets and stored-value cards.
On the other hand, LRT-2, will implement a different fare matrix.
An end-to-end ride from Recto to Antipolo will cost P33 for Beep card owners and P35 for those using single-journey tickets.
Senior citizens, persons with disabilities and students may still avail of their 20 percent discount for single-journey tickets at LRT-1 and LRT-2.
The fare hikes for both transit lines will be used to improve services, amenities and technical capacities, DOTr Railways Assistant Secretary Jorjette Aquino said in a statement on June 19.
“We are aiming to make our rail services more accessible, convenient, and efficient for commuters,” Aquino said.
Light Rail Manila Corporation (LMRC), LRT-1’s private operator, said this fair hike is necessary for the company’s deficits to decrease. Currently, LMRC has reported a P1.46 billion deficit. They claimed that the deficit may further rise to P5.7 billion in two years.
The Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA), a government-owned operator, expects an additional P114 million revenue from the fare hike. LRTA plans to use P110 million or 97% of the additional revenue for maintenance, repairs and other expenses.
The last fare hike for transit lines was in 2015, according to DOTr. —Intern, Dominique Nicole Flores