DOTC: LRT fare hike not likely in January

A day after being advised to prepare for a fare hike in early 2011, commuters taking the Light Rail Transit (LRT) can breathe easy, at least for January. Transportation Department spokesman Undersecretary Dante Velasco said the LRT Authority (LRTA) Board will still have to meet on the fare hike and conduct public hearings in January. “A fare hike is not likely in January, as the LRTA Board will have to meet on the matter. Then there will have to be public consultations. A fare hike may take effect in February or March, within the first quarter of the year," Velasco said in an interview on dzBB radio Wednesday. On Tuesday, Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) Secretary Jose de Jesus had advised the public to prepare for a “slight" fare hike in early 2011. “Pero hindi gaano kataas ang itataas niyan (But the fare hike will not be that big)," De Jesus insisted, in an interview on dzRH radio. Velasco also declined to say how much the fare hike will be, saying the LRTA Board will still have to determine that. He also said that while the DOTC earlier estimated the hiked minimum fare will not exceed P30, it may have to update its calculations. “Our initial computations indicated the minimum fare would not exceed P30. But there may be new variables, so we cannot say at this time that the P30 figure will still hold," he said. LRT 1 and 2 run from Balintawak in Caloocan City to Baclaran in Pasay City, and from Santolan in Marikina City to Recto in Manila, respectively. MRT-3 runs from North Avenue in Quezon City to Taft Avenue in Pasay City. — LBG, GMANews.TV