The Light Rail Manila Corporation (LRMC), the operator of the Light Rail Transit line 1 (LRT-1), has insisted the need for a P5 increase for LRT-1 as the budget would be used for the line extension.
LRMC president Juan Alfonso said that the fare increase would assure the construction of LRT-1 extension up to the Bacoor, Cavite.
“A P5 increase in LRT-1 fare will assure the construction of its extension to Sucat, Las Piñas and Bacoor, allowing at least 300,000 of residents each day to get to and from home in just minutes from Baclaran without traffic,” Alfonso said in a statement.
The LRMC filed a petition before the Department of Transportation in May asking to increase its fare by P5 to P7.
Currently, the fares of the LRT-1 range from P15 to P30 depending on the distance traveled by the train.
READ: LRT 1 operator asks DOTr for P5 to P7 fare increase
Alfonso also noted that if approved, the travel time from Bacoor, Cavite to Roosevelt station in Quezon City would be down to one hour and 10 minutes.
“We can virtually guarantee these travel times because we are traffic free. And we are investing P5 for every P1 revenue to ensure that LRT-1 is efficient, trouble-free, and also clean,” Alfonso said.
The LRT-1 has not increased its fares since the LRMC took over as its operator in September 2015.
However, under the agreement of the government and LRMC, the railway management is allowed to have a fare hike every two years. /je