Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 12) — The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board’s (LTFRB) approval of fare hikes for the LRT-1 and LRT-2 lines is not yet final, the Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA) said.
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The LRT’s current fare is ₱1.00 per kilometer (KM) plus a boarding fare of ₱11. The proposed hike would increase the distance fare by ₱0.21 per KM, making it ₱1.21 per KM, and the boarding fare by ₱2.29, totaling ₱13.29.
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“Yung approval ng LTFRB, hindi pa final. Nung inaprubahan ng LTFRB ito (The LTFRB’s approval is not final. When they approved this), they are just approving as one member of the LRTA board,” LRTA Administrator Hernando Cabrera told CNN Philippines’ Balitaan on Thursday.
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The LRTA Board of Directors is chaired by the secretary of the Department of Transportation. Its members include the secretaries of the Department of Public Works and Highways, the Department of Budget and Management, the Department of Finance, the National Economic Development Authority, the respective chairpersons of the Metro Manila Development Authority and the LTFRB, an LRTA administrator, and one representative from the private sector.
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“After na ma-approve na ito ng majority of the LRTA board members, dadaan pa ito sa regulatory process. Ang regulatory process na ito may kasamang public consultations and hearings,” the LRTA administrator said. He added that no consultation has yet been conducted.
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[Translation: After the hike is approved by a majority of the LRTA board members, it will go through a regulatory process which involves public consultations and hearings.]
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Cabrera added that the LRT-2’s ridership was low at the start of 2023 with around 130,000 passengers daily. Before the holidays, the LRT-2 saw about 159,000 riders a day, the highest figures versus pre-pandemic ridership.
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Meanwhile, the progressive Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) questioned the timing of the proposed fare hike, citing the 8.1% inflation rate in December 2022.
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“News reports say that the petition for a fare hike was filed by LRMC [Light Rail Manila Corporation], the private operator, last April 2022. The DoTr said in May 26, 2022 that there would be no fare hike amid rising inflation, which at that time was at 4.9%. Inflation at end of December 2022 already reached 8.1%. So why will a fare hike be granted now?” Bayan Secretary General Renato Reyes asked.
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READ: Fare increase for LRT-1 sought
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To Bayan, the proposed fare hike would be a violation of commuter rights as no public hearings had been conducted.
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