By the looks of it, the proposed fare rate hike of Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3) will proceed as anticipated by next year, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) said.
“It will push through. We are reviewing it, maybe next year,” Transportation Secretary Jaime J. Bautista said.
The proposed fare rate hike had ebeen deferred due to “infirmities in complying with the requirements and procedure.”
MRT 3 management earlier sought an additional P2.29 boarding fare adjustment and a P0.21 distance fare per kilometer hike to finance its operating expenses.
As of November 2022, MRT3 system expenses total P8.96 billion on revenue of only to P1.1 billion or a deficit of P7.8 billion that requires government to extend subsidy of P88.34 for every passenger that used the line.
For context, the DOTr earlier approved a fare rate adjustment for LRT Lines 1 and 2 consisting of an additional P2.29 boarding fare and P0.21 distance fare per kilometer from current P11 boarding fare and P1 distance fare.
Transportation Undersecretary Cesar Chavez had said LRT Lines 1 and 2 deserve a modest fare rate increase in the wake of petitions that were rejected the past eight years.
He said the actual rate for end-to-end travel on the LRT-2 from Antipolo to Recto costs P178 per passenger but that only P30 is being charged.
This means the government ends up subsidizing P148 of the cost of operating the line for each passenger transiting the line end points, Chavez said.
The same can be said of the actual cost of end-to-end train rides at the LRT-1, Chavez said, stressing that LRT-1’s operator, the Light Rail Manila Corporation (LRMC) has petitioned for a fare increase since 2016.
