As one of the approximately 300,000 daily passengers of the Light Rail Transit 1 (LRT-1), I was puzzled when the news broke last January about the incoming LRT-1 fare hike. Starting tomorrow, April 2, ticket prices will increase by P4 to P5, making me question the purpose behind these fare hikes.
Hailing from the south, I pass by nine stations on my way to class, from Ninoy Aquino Station to Vito Cruz Station. The cost amounts to P23 based on the Stored Value fare matrix. Now, with the looming fare hike, my single journey to Taft will cost P28. Make it double for my roundtrip home, and it totals P56.
This increase is not merely an inconvenience but also a severe burden for daily commuters, from the office workers struggling on a minimum wage to the students in the University Belt running on allowances. These travel expenses can slowly burn a hole, if not the entire wallet.
Price hikes always seem to spark resistance, especially in the Philippines, where inflation keeps rising. But this is more than just a petty complaint for “paying more.” The public exhibits aversion to the LRT-1 fare hike because the prices don’t match the services, and plans to improve them often turn out to be empty promises.
The latest price increase for LRT-1 was in 2023, but even after two years, no significant improvements have been made to explain the higher fares. While the inauguration of the Cavite Extension Phase 1 is a step forward, developments to the existing stations have been unaccomplished or neglected. The five Parañaque-bound stations benefit from the new facilities, such as functioning escalators, elevators, and concourse levels. Yet, these features have not been extended to the older stations to help ease passenger safety and convenience.
With the current count of daily passengers, the existing LRT-1 trains are insufficient to meet the demands amid promises of faster travel time. Passengers are left crammed into the cabins, especially during rush hour, and others often deal with long travel delays due to consecutive packed trains. Occasionally, trains abruptly stop midway during travel, causing even more delays.
Instead of upgrading the trains, fare hikes continue to be imposed every two years as part of the government’s contract with the Light Rail Manila Corporation (LRMC). However, there is a lack of transparency and strategic planning when it comes to ensuring that the current railroad services do the prices justice. Moreover, neither the government nor the LRMC has disclosed any metrics that could justify the price hike.
Presidential Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro reasoned in a Malacañang press briefing yesterday, March 31, that the government has no choice but to adhere to what is stipulated in the contract. This comes with the privatization of transportation, and without proper regulation, it can turn public services into a business, where profit is prioritized over the needs of Filipinos.
The government should be smart about establishing elaborate infrastructure projects that require large funding. If it cannot champion the needs of the public, then an explanation behind the fares is at least warranted.
With no numerical or structural developments visible, the situation becomes even more disheartening. In the end, it’s the commuters who bear the disadvantage.
Railroads like the LRT-1 were built to make commutes more accessible for the Filipino people, especially with the rise of car-centric areas that further clog our roads. Fare hikes can be justified if they come with real, tangible improvements. If not, financial constraints will deepen the inequality in our transport systems and defeat the purpose of establishing railroads. Accessibility is first lost. Most especially, it should not be a privilege.
Sure, business is business, but the currency should not be the welfare of the passengers.
This article was published in The LaSallian‘s Spoof 2025 issue. To read more, visit bit.ly/TLSSpoof2025.
