President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has ordered the Department of Transportation (DOTr) to suspend the increase of fares in Light Rail Transit (LRT) Lines 1 and 2 citing the high inflation rate hurting commuters.
This was after DOTr Secretary Jaime Bautista announced in a press conference that he has approved the petition of the Light Rail Manila Corporation (LRMC) to increase boarding fares in both LRT lines by ₱2.29 while the distance fare rose by ₱0.21.
In response to the president's directive, Bautista said that they will reassess the economic impact of the hike.
"In compliance with the President’s instruction, we will thoroughly study how a fare hike today will impact on passengers of our three rail lines in Metro Manila," he said.
Bautista also noted that the suspension was 'due to infirmities in complying with the requirements and procedure'.
The DOTr earlier said that the fare hike will allow the rail lines to improve their quality services.
