LRT, MRT fare hikes deferred until next year

The approaching holidays will be merrier for the commuting public, if only for a bit, after the government decided yet again to defer the proposed fare hikes for Metro Manila's three transit railways until next year. In a newscast over GMA News' "24 Oras", the Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC) said the fare increases for the Light Rail Transit’s Lines 1 and 2 (LRT-1, LRT-2) and Metro Rail Transit 3 (MRT-3) may be implemented in the early part of 2011, but definitely after 2010.
"To make the increase effective during Christmas time would not be a good idea," said DOTC Undersecretary Dante Velasco in the newscast. "'Pag napo-postpone, napo-postpone din 'yung cost. 'Pag na-postpone yung cost, may savings ang ating mga kababayan," he added. (If the hike is postponed, costs are also postponed, and the commuting public has savings.) But the DOTC still estimates that the new fare may reach as much as P30 from the current P15, even as it said the fare matrix is still under review. After the review, the Light Rail Transit Authority will still have to approve the new fee schedule, and public consultations will have to be conducted with stakeholders in the transport sector. Passengers welcomed the temporary respite from the fare hike, but the National Council for Commuters' Protection (NCCP) maintained the government still has to open its books of expenses and revenues from the rail operations. "Sa dinami-rami ng kanilang other income, bakit kailangan pang singilin ang publiko," asked NCCP president Elvira Medina. (Given their many other income sources, why do they still have to impose higher fees on the public?) The real cost of an average passenger trip in all three rail lines has been estimated at P60 or even more, but the maximum rates for MRT-3 and LRT-2 stand at P15 only, and P20 for LRT-1. This means the government is subsidizing at least P40 for each passenger. The government is looking at cutting down the cost of subsidy by P2 billion every year, which is now pegged at P7 billion for next year. "Two billion would be such a good amount also for other basic government services," Velasco said.—Jerrie M. Abella/JV, GMANews.TV