The Department of Transportation (DOTr) approved the Light Rail Manila Corporation’s (LRMC) request for a fare hike, allowing the private operator to begin charging more beginning April 2 this year.
In a letter dated February 14, the DOTr informed LRMC that the agency’s Railway Regulatory Unit approved its petition to adjust ticket prices for its Light Rail Transit line 1 (LRT-1).
This means that by April 2, the new minimum fare for a single-journey ticket at LRT-1 will be P20, up from P15, for a 25% increase.
The DOTr also approved a boarding fee of P16.25 and a distance fare of P1.47 per kilometer.
However, the approved fare hike is lower than the LRMC’s original request, the transport department pointed out.
Based on the petition filed before the DOTr Rail Regulatory Unit, LRMC was seeking for P18.15 boarding fare plus P1.65 per kilometer distance fare, a 10.25 percent increase from the current actual fare of P13.29 plus P1.21.
Under its concession agreement, LRMC’s notional fare shall be adjusted on August 1, 2016 and every second anniversary thereafter by an effective rate of five percent per annum or 10.25 percent per adjustment.
This means that the private operator LRMC is entitled to a 10 percent fare hike every two years.
Meanwhile, militant labor group Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) condemned the approval of what it said would amount to a 30 percent increase in the LRT’s fares.
In a statement on Tuesday, the group said such a fare hike is “immoral” amid current economic difficulties.
“This is hell for commuters – especially for poorly-paid workers,” the KMU wrote in Filipino.
The labor organization also said that previous fare hikes did not translate to better or safer services to LRT-1 passengers as promised by the LRTA.
Editor’s Note: This is an updated article. Originally posted with the headline “DOTr approves LRT-1 fare hike effective April 2.”