Fares for both the Light Rail Transit Line 1 (LRT-1) and the Light Rail Transit Line 2 (LRT-2) are set to increase beginning Aug. 2, Wednesday.
The Light Rail Manila Corporation (LRMC), operator and maintenance company of the LRT-1, said there will be a new minimum fare of P14 and a maximum fare of P35 for stored value cards (SVCs) while single journey tickets (SJTs) will range from P15 to P35.
This is up from the current minimum fare of P12 and maximum fare of P30 for SVCs and for SJTs ranging from P15 to P30.
“Based on the decision of DOTr’s Rail Regulatory Unit (RRU), the LRT-1 boarding fare will become P13.29 with a distance fare of P1.21 per kilometer, coming from the current boarding fare of P11 and distance fare of P1 per kilometer,” the LRMC said in a statement Monday.
It noted that due process has been followed in the fare increase, including the requirement to publish the approved fare adjustments for three consecutive weeks.
“Thirty days after the last publication date will be the collection date of the new fares; hence the effectivity date of August 2 for the new fares. A public consultation was also held on 17 February 2023 which was attended by various stakeholders,” it said.
On the other hand, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) announced the LRT-2’s fare increase on Facebook.
SVCs will soon have a minimum fare of P14 and a maximum of P33 from the previous PHP12 and PHP28 respectively.
Meanwhile, the minimum fare for SJTs will remain at P15 while the maximum fare will increase to P35 from the current P30.
The fare increase for the LRT-2 is also based on the fare adjustment approved by the RRU for the LRT-1.
“The fare increase will be used to fix and improve the facilities and services of the LRT-2. It was 2015 when the last fare adjustment for the line was approved,” the DOTr said.
Students, senior citizens, and persons with disabilities will still have a 20-percent fare discount.
In June, the DOTr approved the fare increase for both the LRT-1 and LRT-2 and said the increase will lessen the amount spent by the government on subsidizing their fares by around three percent.
DOTr Assistant Secretary for Railways Sector Jorjette Aquino said the actual cost per passenger of a single end-to-end trip at the LRT-2 is about P178 while only charging P30 to passengers.