The Light Rail Transit Line 1 (LRT-1) faces a possible fare hike after the railway’s operator filed a petition to increase fares in order to help recoup investments for maintenance and the extension to Parañaque.
In its petition, Light Rail Manila Corporation (LRMC) is requesting the Department of Transportation (DOTr) to approve a base fare increase for LRT-1 from P13.29 to P18.15, and to raise the fare per kilometer from P1.21 to P1.65.
Commuters traveling 5 kilometers and 16 kilometers would pay an additional P6.02 based on the proposed new fare matrix.
Transport Secretary Jaime Bautista said in an interview on Thursday that the LRT Authority has already approved the petition, but it also requires approval from the DOTr’s Rail Regulatory Unit (RRU) before it can be implemented.
Bautista added that the fare hike could begin “at the earliest, at the start of the second quarter, or in April.”
Transport Assistant Secretary for Railways Jorjette Aquino stated that the RRU’s decision is expected by next month.
“We will have to consider not only the petition of LRMC but also the positions of the different organizations that we heard,” she said.
The last approved fare hike for the railway was in 2015. Petitions in 2016, 2018, 2020, and 2022 were all deferred.
