LRT-1 August ridership hits 14.6M — LRMC

A total of 14.6 million commuters rode the Light Rail Transit-1 (LRT-1) system in August or about eight percent higher than the same period last year, the Light Rail Manila Corporation (LRMC) said.

The LRMC recorded 14,633,544 passengers on the LRT-1last August as compared to the same period last year at 13,454,019 passengers.

The LRMC credits the ridership growth to the increased number of trains in the system and to the reduced waiting time for passengers.

“The ridership growth is a manifestation of stronger customer preference for LRT-1 over other modes of transportation,” LRMC President and CEO Juan Alfonso said in a statement.

“It is a significant achievement for our employees who have focused on increasing the number of trains and trips, reducing queuing time and travel time, as well as improving the safety, security and cleanliness of the stations,” he added.

The LRMC said they have also increased the number of train coaches from 77 in 2015 to 112 cars this year with the addition of 35 cars since 2015.

The LDRMC added that they were also able to make 530 trips daily in 2017 from an average of 478 trips per day in 2016.

“This is the privatization effect. With over P10.5 billion invested in capital projects to date, we were able to improve the safety, security and cleanliness of the stations as well as provide more trains, more trips, extended operating hours, less waiting time, more passengers, much improved customer satisfaction,” Alfonso said.   /muf