LRT upgrades justify fare hike – DOTr official

Light Rail Transit (INQUIRER file photo)

MANILA, Philippines — Following the August fare hike announcement, a transport official cites LRT operation improvements as the reason.

Fare rises from P11 to P13.29 per kilometer; subsequent km rate increases from P1 to P1.21.

DOTr assistant secretary Jorjette Aquino said, “base sa evaluation ng railway regulatory unit, napatanuyan na nagkaroon ng mga improvement sa pagpapatakbo ng LRT 1 and LRT 2, tulad ng pagdagdag ng mga tumatakbong tren, pagbilis ng biyahe, pag-usad ng construction ng LRT 1 Cavite extension.”

(The railway regulatory unit observed LRT 1 and LRT 2 improvements, such as more trains, faster trips, and progress in LRT 1 Cavite extension construction.)

“Isang critical condition sa pag-apruba ng fair adjustment is ang pagtaas ng halaga ng pagpapatakbo ng linya ng ating tren sa nakaraang walong taon, bunsod sa pagtaas ng singil sa kuryente at tubig, pagtaas ng halaga ng importasyon ng mga equipment, spare parts and pagtaas din ng sahod ng mga railway personnel,” said Aquino in presenting DOTr’s justifications for the fare adjustment.

(Over eight years, higher electricity, water, import, spare parts, and labor prices have increased the cost of operating our train lines, making the appropriate adjustment necessary.)

Aquino made these statements during Tuesday’s ‘Laging Handa’ public briefing.

The DOTr official also stressed government still subsidizes the train fares.

“Sa katunayan, ang tunay na halaga ng isang train ride, end to end, para sa LRT Line 2, o mula Recto hanggang Antipolo, ay nasa P178 kada pasahero, kada sakay,” he said.

(In truth, the real cost of one train ride, from end to end, for LRT Line 2, or from Recto to Antipolo, is P178 per passenger per ride.)

“Ngayon, so kung sa existing fair ngayon, which is P30 ang binabayad ng bawat pasahero. P148 ang sina-subsidize ng gobyerno,” he pointed out.

(Now, for the existing fare today, P30 is what the passengers pay for. The government is subsidizing P148.)

Aquino also said the management of the train operations was able to fix their facilities.

These included the bathrooms and escalators.

More security equipment was also installed, Aquino said.

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