MALACANANG yesterday said the fare hike in the Light Rail Transit (LRT) system is long overdue and has been included in the train system’s contract.
Palace Press Officer Claire Castro, in a briefing, said that while the Marcos administration would like to agree to calls to postpone the P5 hike in fare in the LRT 1, it is not possible.
“Iyan po kasi ang nakasaad sa kontrata. Kung hindi po ako nagkakamali, nabanggit po ito na matagal na po dapat nagtaas ng presyo pero hino-hold po ito para po sa ating mga commuters. (That is stipulated in the contract. If I am not mistaken, this has already been mentioned and the increase should have long been implemented but it was just held for our commuters),” she said.
Castro urged the public to scrutinize the contract if possible.
She also asked the public to consider the consequences if the hike is not implemented, adding that it may result in bigger problems for consumers.
The LRT 1 fare hike is set to be implemented starting April 2.
The fare would be increased to P16.25 boarding fee and a distance per kilometer travel fare of P1.47 from the current P13.29 boarding fee and a P1.21 increment per kilometer travel fee.
This means the maximum fare of P45 for a single journey end-to-end trip will go up to P55, while the minimum fare will increase from P15 to P20.
