File photo of Light Rail Transit line 1 INQUIRER / EDWIN BACASMAS
MANILA, Philippines 鈥� The group Bayan Muna urged the government to suspend the recently approved Light Rail Transit Line 1 (LRT-1) fare hike, citing anticipated burdens for commuters.
The approved fare adjustment raises the minimum fare for a single journey ticket from P15 to P20; and the maximum from P44 to P55.
鈥淏ayan Muna demands the immediate suspension of the fare hike implementation and calls for a thorough review of the fare adjustment mechanism that consistently favors private concessionaires over public interest,鈥� the group said in a statement on Saturday.
The railway system petitioned for the fare increase last January.
READ: LRT 1 seeks P5-fare hike; final OK pending
The Light Rail Manila Corporation (LRMC) announced on Tuesday that the revised fare matrix will take effect starting April 2, 2025.
READ: LRT-1 fare hike approved, to take effect April 2
鈥淭his is unacceptable. The majority of LRT-1 riders are minimum wage workers who are already struggling with daily expenses,鈥� former Bayan Muna party-list representative Ferdinand Gaite said in the statement.
鈥淧ahirap, pabigat sa pasaherong Pilipino ito, lalo na sa ating mga manggagawa at mga commuter na walang ibang choice kundi mag-LRT araw-araw,鈥� Gaite added.
(This is a burden to the Filipino passenger, especially to our workers and the commuters who have no other choice but to take the LRT every day.)