The approved fare increase for both the Light Rail Transit Line 1 (LRT-1) and Line 2 (LRT-2) will lessen the amount spent by the government on subsidizing their fares by around 3 percent, an official of the Department of Transportation (DOTr) said. In a Laging Handa briefing on Tuesday, DOTr Assistant Secretary for Railways Sector Jorjette Aquino said the actual cost per passenger of a single end-to-end trip at the LRT-2 is about PHP178 while only charging PHP30 to passengers. 'Kung matutuloy ang implementasyon ng fare adjustment or fare increase kung saan mula sa PHP30 ito ay magiging PHP35 end-to-end, magiging PHP143 ang isa-subsidize ng gobyerno or 80 percent (If the fare adjustment or increase from PHP30 to PHP35 for an end-to-end trip pushes through, this will lessen the amount subsidized by the government to PHP143 or 80 percent),' Aquino said. This is compared to the current government subsidy of PHP148 or around 83 percent of the cost per passenger for the same trip. Some of the critical considerations for the approved fare increase, she said, are the increasing cost of electricity, water, importation of equipment and spare parts, and the salaries of railway personnel. She noted that the last time LRT-1 and LRT-2 implemented a fare increase was more than eight years ago in January 2015. Based on the evaluation of the DOTr's Railway Regulatory Unit (RRU), she said both the LRT-1 and LRT-2 have also made improvements in their operations such as more operational trains, faster trips, continued extension projects and working facilities such as escalators and elevators. 'Tinitiyak naman po namin na ang fare adjustment ng LRT 1 at LRT 2 ay naglalayong mas maging comfortable, accessible, safe at sustainable ang ating serbisyo sa riles (We assure you that the fare adjustment at the LRT-1 and LRT-2 will result in a more comfortable, accessible, safe and sustainable service in our rail lines),' she said. On the other hand, she said the MRT-3 is also set to refile their petition for a fare increase 'within the next two weeks.' The RRU, she said, may approve the fare increase if the MRT-3 can comply with procedural, legal and technical requirements such as improved services. 'Tinitingnan din ang amount ng increase na hinihingi kung ito ba ay naaayon sa mga conditions na dapat na ma-meet in terms of iyong average growth rate of inflation (They will also look at whether the fare increase matches the average growth rate of inflation),' she said. The MRT-3 is looking to increase their fare similar to both the LRT-1 and LRT-2 -- a PHP2.29 increase for boarding fare and PHP0.21 per kilometer fare. On Monday, the DOTr announced the approved fare increase for both the LRT-1 and LRT-2, with the minimum boarding fare now at PHP13.29 from PHP11 and PHP1.21 per kilometer traveled from PHP1. The fare adjustments will take effect on Aug. 2 or 30 days after the two rail lines publish the changes in the news for three consecutive weeks on June 19, 26 and July 3.

Source: Philippines News Agency