No need for IDs, MRT ticket to ride Makati shuttles

Passengers availing themselves of the free shuttle service provided by the Makati city government from a Metro Rail Transit station in Quezon City to the Makati central business district are no longer required to buy an MRT ticket and present a company ID.

In a statement, Makati Mayor Jejomar Erwin Binay Jr. said the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) had agreed to waive those two requirements.

This was after he asked the LTFRB to reconsider its May 16 order, which granted a permit to the shuttle service but required the passengers to buy a single-journey MRT ticket and present a company ID proving that they work in Makati.

The board earlier maintained that it was only following requirements set in the very Makati ordinance that set up the shuttle service. It noted that Section 2 of Makati Ordinance No. 2014-025 stated that government and private sector workers and employees assigned in Makati City, “after presenting due proof, shall be entitled to free rides on a ‘first-come-first-served’ basis.”

Binay said he had directed the city council to amend that ordinance.

“We are thankful to the LTFRB for acting on our request. We are sure this will be a big relief to our countrymen who take the MRT every day,” the mayor added. “These are, after all, express rides to Makati, and we would like to open the service to all those who work or have business in Makati, (like) job applicants and those who are self-employed. ”

Already in its third month, the free shuttle service was launched to assist Makati-bound commuters who would otherwise face long queues at MRT stations and the recurring breakdown of MRT trains.

The six-vehicle convoy rolls out on weekdays, making two trips daily from 6 a.m. to about 9 a.m. from the MRT North Avenue station in Quezon city to the Makati Stock Exchange building on Ayala Avenue, Makati.