Commuters urged to join protest vs LRT-MRT fare hike

Metro Rail and Light Rail Transit Systems. FILE PHOTOS

MANILA, Philippines – Several groups are planning to protest the fare increase of the Light Rail Transit and the Metro Rail Transit in January.

“Bayan RILES and TREN and train commuters are set to question the MRT-LRT fare hike on January 5, 2015,” Bayan Secretary General Renato Reyes said on Friday.

He added they will be assisted by the National Union of People’s Lawyers.

“We will question the basis for the increase, the authority of the agencies who approved the hike, and the process by which the increase was approved. We hope to get a TRO [temporary restraining order] soon,” Reyes said.

He called on commuters to support their initiatives by joining protest actions leading up to Jan.5 and beyond.

The Department of Transportation and Communication announced last week that there would be an increased base fare of P11 on Jan. 4 for both the LRT and MRT and an additional P1 for every kilometer.

This means the P15 MRT fare from North Avenue to Taft Avenue and vice versa would be P28; the P20 ride from Baclaran to Roosevelt and vice versa for LRT-1 would be P30; and P15 ride from Recto to Santolan and back would be P25.

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