As many as 400,000 students in Metro Manila stand to benefit daily from the newly launched white beep cards, which offer an automatic 50 percent fare discount on Light Rail Transit Line 1, LRT-2, and Metro Rail Transit Line 3, the Department of Transportation announced in a statement on Saturday.
Starting September 20, students, senior citizens, and persons with disabilities (PWDs) can obtain their white beep cards on the spot at all 51 train stations across the three lines, according to DOTr Acting Secretary Giovanni Lopez.
“We can accommodate up to 400,000 students per day—and that number doesn’t even include PWDs and senior citizens,” Lopez added.
The discounted cards are printed instantly and are valid across all three rail lines in the metropolis.
“What’s great about this is the on-the-spot printing only takes three to five minutes, and the card can be used on all rail lines,” Lopez said.
In addition, the DOTr plans to conduct school caravans starting in October and is exploring the development of an online application portal to make it even easier to obtain white beep cards.
Lopez assured the public that duplication is prevented through a unified and secure database system integrated across all three train lines.
Eligible students, senior citizens, and PWDs can get a white beep card by visiting any train station, presenting a valid ID, and paying a one-time fee of P30.
In a related development, Lopez ordered Light Rail Manila Corp. (LRMC), the operator of LRT-1, to immediately make all comfort rooms in LRT stations accessible to commuters.
This directive came after the transport chief personally visited the LRT-1 Pedro Gil Station and was dismayed to learn that the comfort room had been closed for a long time and was being used only by a few individuals, including some LRMC employees.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has directed the DOTr to find ways to ease the daily travel of commuters by providing convenient, comfortable, and clean facilities.
In response, LRMC said it expects to complete the repair of comfort rooms within three months. The private operator aims to finish repairs at Dr. Jose Station by Sunday, September 21, and will coordinate with Maynilad to resolve sewer line issues at Vito Cruz, Pedro Gil, and U.N. Avenue stations.
Light Rail Transit Authority Administrator Hernando Cabrera said LRMC has committed “to implement immediate short-term measures and long-term solutions for inaccessible station comfort rooms.”
