Senator Raffy Tulfo called on the Department of Transportation (DOTr) to establish dedicated ticket booths or lanes exclusively for students, separate from those for senior citizens, persons with disabilities (PWDs), and regular passengers.

Tulfo said this amid mounting complaints regarding the slow and inefficient validation process for students availing fare discounts at Light Rail Transit (LRT) and Metro Rail Transit (MRT) stations.

The DOTr has begun implementing the increased 50 percent fare discount (up from the previous 20 percent) for students riding LRT-1, LRT-2, and MRT-3. However, despite this significant benefit, some students choose not to avail themselves of it due to the time-consuming and inconvenient process.

Tulfo, who chairs the Senate Committee on Public Services, immediately directed his Senate team on July 2 to conduct on-site inspections at various LRT and MRT stations and to interview students about their firsthand experience in availing of the fare discounts.

Several students shared that they were asked to present a printed enrollment record at the ticket counter if their student ID did not indicate the current school year.

In addition to showing their IDs, students are also required to fill out a form with their name, school, ID number, signature, and destination station—further contributing to long queues and frustrated passengers, especially during peak hours.

Students also appealed for the discount to be made available not only for single journey tickets, but also for stored value tickets or beep cards, to spare them from having to line up daily.

With this, Tulfo also urged the DOTr to develop a more efficient student verification process that would eliminate the need for manual form-filling and instead explore digital alternatives to streamline validation.

“The goal of the student fare discount is to make transportation more accessible to learners—not to create new obstacles for them or for other commuters,” Tulfo said.

Echoing the students’ appeals, Tulfo also recommended that the DOTr work toward making the student discount applicable to beep cards. He emphasized the importance of requiring the beep card provider to increase production and distribution, making these cards readily available in convenience stores and other commercial outlets nationwide, for the benefit of all commuters, especially students.

At present, Tulfo’s staff observed that beep cards are often out of stock at stations by the afternoon due to limited supply and high demand.