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Manila Bulletin devider Business devider Trade & Industry devider DOTr grants free MRT-3 rides amid cashless payment issues

DOTr grants free MRT-3 rides amid cashless payment issues

Published Aug 4, 2025 11:52 am
MRT-3 passengers can now pay their fares by tapping any Mastercard at contactless turnstiles (DOTr photo)
MRT-3 passengers can now pay their fares by tapping any Mastercard at contactless turnstiles (DOTr photo)
The Department of Transportation (DOTr) will grant free rides to commuters who faced system issues during the trial run of the cashless payment system at Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3) beginning Monday, Aug. 4.
In a statement, the DOTr said it will provide free single journey tickets following reports that passengers are being charged with the full ₱28 fare due to glitches in MRT-3’s new fare correction system.
A number of commuters have complained on social media that they were being charged the maximum fare when tapping out at exit turnstiles.
The DOTr said it is closely monitoring these concerns as it continually fine-tunes the system.
“As a solution, affected passengers will be given a non-expiring single journey ticket equivalent to the maximum MRT fare, which they can use for their next ride,” it said.
Commuters must present proof of their failed tap-out transaction to any MRT-3 ticket booth to claim the free ticket.
Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon said support for cashless payment at MRT-3 has been “overwhelming” despite technical issues.
“But rest assured that within this August, we will have more cashless turnstiles while system upgrades will continue to avoid malfunctions,” he said.
Last month, the DOTr finally launched the cashless payment system at MRT-3 after more than three years of delay in its implementation.
Cashless turnstiles along the 13 stations of the rail line accept e-wallets via QR code, debit cards, credit cards, prepaid cards, tap to pay for android phones, alongside the single journey ticket, and the stored-value card or beep card.
Commuters paying cashless will be charged ₱28—the cost of an end-to-end journey ticket—upon tapping in at the entrance turnstile.
Barring any issue, the system will automatically return the appropriate change, if applicable, after they tap out.
Once fully operational, the DOTr aims to upgrade every turnstile to a cashless version, significantly reducing long queues at stations.
The agency is expected to launch the cashless payment system at Light Rail Transit Line 1 (LRT-1) and LRT-2 before the year ends.

Related Tags

Metro Rail Transit 3 (MRT-3) Vince Dizon Department of Transportation (DOTr) cashless payment system
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