MRT fare hike looms — DOTC

The 800,000 commuters serviced by the MRT 3 should brace themselves for a looming fare hike some time this year. Although no decision has been made yet on how high the increase will be, DOTC chief Jose "Ping" de Jesus said on Unang Balita Thursday morning that the studies on what will be an equitable fare are scheduled to be completed in August. "We're studying what an equitable fare would be," De Jesus said, explaining that they will be looking into several aspects like affordability, cost of operation and providing the service and the ridership, which he says has increased.

A higher fare is unavoidable, as the government is losing money on the build-lease-transfer scheme that covers the MRT 3. De Jesus said the MRT 3 fare has remained unchanged, even though the cost of everything has gone up. He explained that while the owner is guaranteed a return on their equity, the government subsidizes a large part of the cost, exactly how much, however, is yet to be determined. "It is the government that fills the gap between what it generates and what it has to pay," said De Jesus. The LRT will also have an increase in its fare. "Isasabay narin natin yun, dahil ganun din ang situation dun. The numbers may be different but the situation is similar," De Jesus said. Meanwhile, the MRT-LRT loop closing is set to reach completion at the end of the year. The 17-kilometer MRT 3 which stretches from Taft Avenue in Pasay City to North Avenue in Quezon City will be linked to the LRT 1, which goes from Baclaran to Monumento. — Carmela Lapeña/RSJ, GMANews.TV