MRT fare hike not a miracle solution, says Buenafe

MRT-3 General Manager Roman Buenafe says the fare hike implemented by the MRT management is not a “miracle solution,” citing that it will take time to feel the benefits of the fare hike. NESTOR CORRALES/INQUIRER.net

“A fare hike is not a miracle solution.”

That was how Metro Rail Transit (MRT-3) general manager Roman Buenafe said amid criticisms that the fare hike implemented by MRT and the Light Rail Transit (LRT) early 2015 did not result to improvements on the trains’ services.

Buenafe, at the sidelines of the groundbreaking ceremony of the LRT-2 East Extension Project Tuesday, said the fare-hike benefit could be seen after a year or two years.

“Priority ko ang patakbuhin ang mga trains nang matino (My priority is to make the trains run well),” he said.

In recent months, the MRT has drawn criticisms due to its daily technical glitches and long queues in almost all train stations during rush hours.

In August 2014, at least 38 passengers were hurt after a wayward MRT-3 train overshot the tracks at the Taft Avenue station in Pasay City.

The MRT-3 was designed to serve 350,000 commuters daily but about 600,000 take its trains every day.

But amid these incidents, the MRT-3 implemented a fare hike on January this year.

Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya called it a “tough decision” but assured that the hike would mark improvements on our railway systems.