LRT1 fare hike to take effect on April 2

Light Rail Transit Line (LRT1) commuters should brace for higher fares beginning in April as the Department of Transportation (DOTr) approved the increase in the railway system’s fare matrix.

The development was announced by LRT1’s private concessionaire Light Rail Manila Corp. (LRMC) on Tuesday.

LRMC said the revised fare matrix, as approved by the DOTr’s Rail Regulatory Unit will be implemented starting April 2, 2025.

In a notice dated February 14, 2025, signed by Railways Undersecretary Jeremy Regino, the DOTr informed LRMC of the approved new fare formula for the Line 1.

The current fare formula for LRT1 of P13.29 boarding fee and a P1.21 increment per kilometer travel will be increased to P16.25 boarding fee and a distance per kilometer travel fare of P1.47.

Based on the approved revised fare matrix,the maximum fare of P45 for a single journey end-to-end trip will go up to P55 while the minimum fare will increase from P15 to P20.

The fare adjustment for LRT1 came about two months after the DOTr conducted a public hearing on LRMC’s petition for increase.

The LRT1 private operator is required to publish the approved fare at least once a week for three consecutive weeks in a newspaper of general circulation.

Below is the approved revised fare matrix for LRT1:

LRMC CEO Enrico Benipayo earlier justified the concessionaire’s fare hike appeal by presenting several improvements in the LRT1. He said the working light rail vehicles were increased by 87% from 77% (since the private takeover in 2015) to 144; and close to 100% daily system reliability, monthly system reliability, punctuality, and availability.

Benipayo added that since LRMC took over, there has only been one fare increase for LRT1, even if the concessionaire is allowed to adjust fare every two years.

In a separate statement, the LRMC chief said that this is only the second time that it was granted a fare adjustment in the last 10 years.

“We are thankful to our partners in government for their support in ensuring that we can sustain the necessary upgrades. In the past 10 years of operating and maintaining the 40-year-old railway line, this will only be the second time that LRMC has been allowed to implement fare adjustments for LRT1. LRMC has since introduced new trains, station upgrades, and better service efficiency. Last November 2024, LRMC also completed Phase 1 of the Cavite Extension Project and opened the extension for commercial operations,” said Benipayo.  

The LRMC filed petitions for fare adjustments in 2016, 2018, 2020, and 2022, all of which were deferred.

Benipayo had said the amount of fare adjustment that the LRMC sought covered the deferred adjustments in previous years.

The deferred fare hikes had resulted in a fare deficit of P2.17 billion as of November 2024.

“Assuming no fare increase will be granted until 2028, LRMC is projecting a total of P4.9 billion in fare deficit for the next three years, bringing the total fare deficit to P7 billion,” he said.

The LRMC chief said that if the LRT1 fares are adjusted, the national government will avoid paying the additional fare deficit which would allow them to devote the corresponding funds to other priority government projects.

“LRMC has always achieved 100% of its monthly system reliability, system punctuality, and system availability performance indicators. The cycle time (total time it takes for a complete roundtrip) has significantly improved since 2015, from 106 minutes upon takeover of LRMC to 91 minutes in 2024. We remain committed to our mission of giving people back their time through efficient transport and putting more value on every single peso that our passengers spend for every LRT1 ride,” Benipayo said. —KG/VBL, GMA Integrated News