MRT-3 to restructure fare rates; minimum raised to P10

The Metro Rail Transit 3 (MRT-3) will start implementing a new restructured fare rate, increasing its minimum fare from P9.50 to P10, this March 13.

In a memorandum to Transportation Secretary Leandro Mendoza dated Jan. 27, 2005, Assistant Secretary Roberto Lastimoso, general manager of Metrostar Express, said that the current fare structure needs modification due to the following reasons:

• MRT-3 requires too many people involved in the manual selling of tickets;

• MRT-3 often results to long queuing of passengers which greatly inconveniences the riding public;

• the system’s Ticket Issuing Machines (TIMs) have not been utilized as they are not compatible with the current fare structure;

• excessive demand for coins as loose change exists under this fare structure; and,

• the current fare rate is not a uniform fare structure as Lines 1 and 2 adopted a zonal fare structure.

"The modification of the fare structure to follow the zonal-type will result in a faster and more efficient ticket selling which will do away with current problems (long queuing of passengers, demand for loose change, manual selling of tickets) being encountered by MRT-3 in its fare collection operations. Likewise, the utilization of the zonal-type will pave the way for the use of the current TIMs and the transition to such change in structure will just entail minor adjustments in the MRT-3 Automatic Fare Collection System," Lastimoso said in his memorandum to Mendoza.

Lastimoso said the transition to the zonal-type will still implement maximum fare of P15, but the minimum will have to be P10, to take into account the compatibility of the TIM’s to accept P1 and P5 only.

He said that as necessary consequence of zonal fare structure, they have determined that there shall be a slight increase in farebox revenue to the extent of 4.5 percent due to the fact that the TIMs have only five buttons to cover five zones which technically restricts the use of 25-centavo and 50-centavo coins.

Earlier, he said that they also had the option to round-off downward existing fares with 50 centavos to the next peso. But, this would result to a significant loss of revenue, he said.

If the MRT-3 fare structure will be modified, all fare structures being implemented by LRT/MRT lines in Metro Manila will be uniformed, Lastimoso said.