Light Rail Manila Corp., the private sector operator of the Light Rail Transit Line 1, plans to increase the average fare by up to P7 in August this year.
LRMC president Juan Alfonso told reporters the company had submitted to the state-run Light Rail Transit Authority a fare adjustment of between P5 and P7 in March 2018.
Alfonso said the fare increase would be subject to public consultation and approval by LRTA.
He said the fare increase would allow the company to recoup the investments it made to rehabilitate the elevated mass transit and improve services over the past three years.
Alfonso said that since assuming operations and maintenance of LRT-1 in September 2015, LRMC already invested P7.5 billion towards the improvement of operational efficiencies and customer experience on LRT-1.
“We have significantly increased the number of trains and trips, reduced queueing time and travel time, as well as improved the safety, security and cleanliness of the stations,” he said.
LRT-1 had a fleet of 109 cars as of March 2018, which is expected to increase to 121 cars by yearend. The higher number of train cars resulted in a 9.7-percent increase in average daily trips from 505 to 554 trips. Average daily ridership in the first quarter rose 4 percent to 459,400 over the same period last year.
Once approved, the fare from Roosevelt Station in Quezon City to Baclaran in Pasay would increase to a range of P35 to P37, from the current P30.
Under its concession agreement, fares should be adjusted every two years.
LRMC won the bidding for the 11.7-kilometer extension project to Cavite and took over the operation of the existing LRT 1 on Sept. 12, 2015.
Fares at LRT Line 1, Line 2 and Metro Rail Transit 3 were last adjusted on Jan. 4, 2015.
Alfonso said LRMC would start the construction of the P35-billion LRT Line 1 Cavite extension project by October this year.
He said the Cavite extension was expected to be operational by second quarter of 2021.
“Land travel time from Baclaran to Bacoor is currently at one and a half hours a day, during rush hour on the average. We can bring that down to only 30 minutes,” Alfonso said.
“From Baclaran to Sucat, it will be only 15 minutes; Baclaran to Zapote, 20 minutes,” he said.