A legislator from the Bicol Region has said commuter train operators in Metro Manila should first improve their services before increasing fares.
Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Raymund Villafuerte in a statement said he is “hoping against hope that with barely a month to go before the scheduled rate adjustments at the three rail networks in Metro Manila, our transport officials will find it in their hearts before August to defer anew the fare increase.
Villafuerte appealed anew to President Marcos to suspend the fare increase set by the Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA) and Metro Rail Transit Corp. (MRTC), respectively, for LRT Lines 1 and 2 (LRT-1 and LRT-2) and for MRT Line 3 (MRT-3)—in the same way that the Chief Executive ordered Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista to defer the plan when Bautista broached this subject in April.
He pointed out that officials at the Department of Transportation (DOTr), LRTA and MRTC were “pulling the cart ahead of the horse in stressing that adjusting rates is necessary for Metro rail lines to
boost revenue so they can spend more on improving the service for commuters, because the much better alternative is for them to first improve their train services before demanding higher fares from the riding public.”
Villafuerte said it was possible for transportation officials to defer the fare increase plan and look for other sources of funding for the scheduled maintenance and improvement of the railway systems.
The rail systems were set to impose a 20 percent fare increase starting August 2. Maricel V. Cruz