DOTr: No more free LRT-2 rides for students, but 20% discount still available
MANILA, Philippines — Free rides for students along the Light Rail Transit-Line 2 from Antipolo to Manila ended with more than 1.6 million beneficiaries, the Department of Transportation said Monday as it reminded students that they can still avail of a 20% discount on their fare.
The east-to-west rail line cuts through the University Belt in Manila City along with the student-heavy Katipunan Avenue near Diliman, Quezon City. The Libreng Sakay program along the EDSA Busway, which runs from Monumento to Parañaque, is also set to run until December of this year.
"The Student Libreng Sakay Program is intentionally designed to cover only the first quarter of the current school year, and thereafter, the usual 20% Student Fare Discount will be implemented," the DOTr said in a statement.
"The program was designed to provide some form of assistance to families suffering financial constraints due to the pandemic and with the start of face-to-face classes in August."
The department along with the Light Rail Transit Authority initiated the LRT-2 Libreng Sakay Program to provide students with transport assistance amid the pandemic and rising prices of commodities ahead of the gradual phase-in of the face-to-face classes in the first quarter of the current school year.
It ran until Saturday, November 5, recording exactly 1,623,473 students who benefited from the program, the DOTr disclosed.
Students can avail of the discounted fare by presenting their IDs or filling out the registration form at the Passenger Assistance Office or Ticket Booth.
"The LRTA lost the opportunity to earn some P30 million as a result of the program, and which amount could have been used to fund upgrading and rehabilitation projects for the LRT-2 System," the DOTr said when asked about calls from parents and students to extend the program.
"The continued free ride would deprive LRTA of needed funds for its rehab and upgrading projects."
Transport advocacy group Move as One coalition has said that while Libreng Sakay does benefit commuters, increasing transport capacity should be a more immediate need than alleviating transport costs amid the fuel crisis.
The results of an informal survey by commuter network The Passenger Forum suggested earlier that majority of commuters in the Greater Metro Manila Area believe they're waiting too long to get a ride because the supply of public utility vehicles on the road is insufficient for the current passenger demand.
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