Students using Metro Manila’s rail systems will now be paying half of the original fare following the Department of Transportation’s (DOTr) move to raise the student discount to 50 percent from 20 percent.
Coinciding with the opening of classes, students can now avail of the smaller fare across Light Rail Transit Line 1 (LRT-1), LRT-2, and Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3) beginning Friday, June 20.
The discount, which applies to all students, including those taking postgraduate studies, will be available daily, even during weekends and holidays.
This will remain in effect until 2028 or the end of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s term.
Malaking tulong ito sa mga pamilya lalo na sa mga magulang na hirap magpa-aral sa kanilang mga anak. 'Yung matitipid nila, pwede nilang ilaan sa ibang gastusin gaya ng mga project, dagdag nila sa baon, o sa iba pang mga gastusin sa school, said Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon.
(This is a big help for families, especially parents who are struggling to send their children to school. What they will save, can be used for other expenses like school projects, extra allowance, or other school-related costs.)
For LRT-2, which carries the largest student ridership among the three rail lines, the minimum fare is reduced to ₱8.
An end-to-end trip from Recto Station in Manila to Antipolo Station in Rizal is now ₱18.
In MRT-3, the minimum fare for students stands at ₱6, with an end-to-fare from North Avenue station in Quezon City to Taft Avenue station in Pasay is ₱14.
A student commuting via LRT-1 will now pay ₱10 for the minimum fare and ₱28 for the whole stretch of Fernando Poe Jr. station in Quezon City to Dr. Santos station in Parañaque.
In a social media post, the DOTr stated that students wishing to avail of the discount must present their school ID from the current school year at the ticket counter.
The discount is only valid for single journey tickets, and is not applicable for Beep cards or stored value tickets.
The DOTr said the government will subsidize the 50 percent discount for LRT-1.
Meanwhile, LRT-2 and MRT-3 will incur revenue losses.