Despite the clamor to extend the free railway ride for students, the Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA) yesterday said it has ended the student free ride program at the Light Rail Transit line 2 (LRT-2) as it needs funds to finance the railway’s rehabilitation and upgrade.
In a statement, LRTA said the government has incurred P30 million in foregone revenues for the student free ride program implemented from August 22 to November 5.
“The LRTA lost 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,” LRTA said in a statement.
“The continued free ride would deprive LRTA needed funds for its rehab and upgrading projects,” the LRT-2 operator added.
The Department of Transportation, along with the LRTA, initiated the LRT-2 Libreng Sakay Program which was intentionally designed to cover only the first quarter of the current school year, just in time for the gradual phase in of the face-to-face classes.
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 last August 22.
The LRT-2 free ride service has benefited more than 1.6 million students.
Meanwhile, to ensure the continuous delivery of transport financial assistance for students, LRTA has started giving 20 percent fare discount on November 6. Students could avail of the discount by presenting their IDs or filling out the registration form at the passenger assistance office or ticket booth.
To recall, the government has incurred over P500 million in foregone revenues for three months of free ride services at the Metro Rail Transit line 3 during the second quarter of the year which benefited 28 million passengers.
