Nullify fare hikes in MRT, LRT, SC asked

Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Isagani Zarate (File photo from the Philippine Daily Inquirer)

Saying the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) continued to give “poor and unsatisfactory” service despite the fare increase, Bayan Muna urged the Supreme Court anew to nullify the increase in MRT fares implemented in 2015.

Bayan Muna, led by Rep. Carlos Zarate, pressed the Supreme Court on Thursday to rule on its petition questioning the 2014 order of what used to be the Department of Transportation and Communications, now the Department of Transportation.

The order increased the base fare for the MRT and the Light Rail Transit from P10 to P11, with an additional P1 for every kilometer beginning Jan. 4, 2015. As a result, maximum train fare went up to P28 to P30, from the previous P15 to P20.

“The worsening condition of our rail system in spite of the implementation of the fare hikes only proves the correctness and validity of the opposition to the 2015 LRT/MRT fare hikes,” Bayan Muna said in a petition filed on Thursday.

It said that despite the fare hike, MRT 3 continues to experience “technical problems” such that “news about its malfunctions has become so common and complaints from the public have been increasing.”

Bayan Muna said the fare increase did not have sufficient factual basis.