After being deferred in April, the fare increase for Lines 1 and 2 of the Light Rail Transit—aka the LRT-1 and the LRT-2—is set to kick in on August 2, 2023.
The approved increase to the minimum boarding fee is P2.29, with an additional P0.21 to be collected per kilometer traveled. This means the minimum boarding fee for the LRT-1 and the LRT-2 will be P13.29 (from P11), plus an additional P1.21 per kilometer traveled (from P1) per kilometer traveled.
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Secretary Jaime Bautista of the Department of Transportation (DOTr) green-lighted the implementation of the fare increase following a Cabinet meeting earlier this month where President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. announced that “our headline inflation rate has gone down from the former 6.6% to 6.1% and our employment figures are also improving.”
Jorjette Aquino, assistant secretary for railways at the DOTr, said that the fare adjustment will contribute to the improvement of services, amenities, and technical capacities of the LRT-1 and the LRT-2, adding that it “will contribute to maintaining affordable mass transportation services for the two commuter-train lines.”
Of the P114 million additional revenue to be generated by the fare adjustment, P110 million (97%) will be allocated “for maintenance, operating expenses, and the much-needed repair and upkeep of crucial rail systems and facilities,” according to the official release.
The approved fare adjustments must first be published in at least one newspaper of general circulation for three consecutive weeks, before they can take effect 30 days after the last publication date. Aquino has marked August 2 as the “collection date” for the new fares.
