MRT-3 to refile fare hike petition this week

- Advertisement -

The management of Metro Rail Transit line 3 (MRT-3) will refile the proposed fare adjustment amounting to P3 to P6, for travel end-to-end, this week.

In a press breifing, Jorjette Aquino, Department of Transportation (DOTr) assistant secretary for railways and MRT-3 officer-in-charge, said a notarized position paper will be submitted to the chairman of the DOTr’s Rail Regulatory Unit (RRU).

The MRT-3 is proposing to increase its distance fare by P0.21, from P1 to P1.2, and its boarding fee by P2.29, from P11 to P13.29.

- Advertisement -

If approved, the minimum fare will increase from P13 to P16, and the maximum fare end-to-end from P28 to P34.

The RRU is expected to issue next month the notice of public hearing and the proposal will be evaluated for another 30 days, Aquino said.

Once approved, the MRT-3 management is required to publish for three weeks the approved fare prior to implementation.

Aquino thus anticipates a fare hike adjustment by the end of the first quarter or early April of 2024.

Aquino clarified that the implementation of the proposed adjustment will not take effect immediately.

“Give or take it will take another three months once it is refiled this week, if approved by the Rail Regulatory Unit. Our expectation is late March or early April next year,” she said.

The MRT-3 management also sought inputs from the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) and the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), among other agencies.

“The LTFRB’s comment to us is that the proposed adjustments are still lower than those of city buses, city bus aircons, and MPUJs (modern public utility jeepneys),” Aquino said.

“As per NEDA, the fare adjustment’s impact on inflation is minimal while the additional revenue would ease the burden on the national government to increase the subsidies to MRT-3,” Aquino added.

Aquino said the MRT-3 has been operating at a loss, with government subsidizing around P41 per passenger fare. The last time the MRT-3 adjusted its fares was in 2015.

“We believe that this fare adjustment is on the right side of the future of the rail system and the government should also be sensitive to the welfare of the people in the long-term effectiveness and sustainability of our rail system. We want to make the MRT-3 system sustainable, to build more and serve more,” she said.

Author

- Advertisement -

Share post: