No fare subsidy yet for buses plying PNR routes, says chair

MANILA, Philippines — Will the Philippine National Railways (PNR) bus augmentation program soon see cheaper fares?

This may not be the case anytime soon, as railway authorities are still looking into requesting a government subsidy for bus fares.

In a press conference on Wednesday, PNR chair Michael Macapagal clarified that while the government subsidizes train fares for PNR, the same does not apply to buses under its augmentation program since they are provided by private operators who were just granted emergency franchises by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB).

Even before the five-year suspension of its operations in Metro Manila on March 28, the PNR deployed buses along affected routes to help augment the suspension’s effect on around 30,000 commuters in the metro.

READ: PNR to suspend Metro Manila operations for 5 years starting March 28

However, commuters who take the said buses have raised concerns about expensive fares, some of which are reportedly double the cost of train fares.

“Train is the cheapest mode of transportation. The reason is we have a subsidy from the government. [But] these buses […] are private buses, and they do not enjoy the subsidy from the government,” Macapagal explained.

The PNR chief earlier told INQUIRER.net that the official bus fare under its program is P15 for the first five kilometers (km), with an additional P2.65 base price for every succeeding km. The buses traverse the Tutuban-Alabang route and will stop in 12 areas near its stations.

Despite the lack of fare subsidy, he assured commuters that he had spoken to the LTFRB and reminded the agency to enforce its bus fare matrix strictly.

“I sat down with the chairman of the LTFRB with regard to this issue. I said, the fare may be a little bit higher than the trains but it will have to meet […] with the fare matrix,” Macapagal said.

“I also told him […] that all seniors [citizens], students, and PWDs should be given discounts. There’s no reason for them not to be given discounts in the affected routes of the PNR,” he added.

Under consideration

When pressed further on the possibility of requesting subsidies for bus fares under the augmentation program, the PNR chair said the option is “under consideration.”

“That’s under consideration right now. I will just wait for the answer of our treasurer and we will make the announcement. But for now, we have the fare matrix system,” Macapagal said.

READ: PNR eyes UV Express units to cover train routes during halted operations

Subsidies would also need the approval of Congress, he noted.

Meanwhile, former Senator Jose Lina, who was present at the conference, suggested that Macapagal write a letter addressed to Senator Grace Poe on the issue of bus fares covering the routes affected by PNR’s halted operations in the metro.

Poe is the chair of the Senate committee on public services.

Macapagal also explained that as of now, PNR has deployed 25 buses, but it may add more public utility vehicles, including UV express units, to accommodate more commuters.

The PNR temporarily halted its operations in Metro Manila to make way for the government’s construction of the North-South Commuter Railway project.