Time to raise MRT fares 2008-07-18
When I learned that there would be no new trains added to the MRT (Blue Line) until possibly 2010, my heart sunk. If you take the Blue Line on a regular basis, or perhaps even everyday, you’ll understand what I mean. The trains are impossibly packed at all times of the day and the frequency of breakdowns have gone up, resulting to far greater inconveniences and extremely delayed travels. The administrators of the service need to make one important move now -- raise the ticket prices.
Fares need to be raised substantially, maybe even doubled or tripled, (and pronto!) to prevent the system from completely breaking down before new coaches can be added to its fleet. 2010 is a long wait in the context of MRT passenger volume and train wear-and-tear. There is a dire need to divert (“force” is perhaps more apt) a substantial number of riders away from the trains and make them take those half-empty buses plying EDSA instead. (Certainly, this measure will be a highly unpopular one, particularly here in Manila where even well-educated people talk and act like; (1) the Philippines is the only country in the world suffering from high oil and food prices; and (2) high inflation is the “fault” of just one person.) However, this is one more bullet we all need to bite together into, just in case. Personally, I heavily rely on the light rail systems -- the Purple and Yellow lines included -- to move around the metropolis, which means I will be one of those affected by such an action.
But Metro Manila cannot afford their light train systems to be crippled, most especially the Blue Line. Fares should be significantly raised as soon as possible.
Donald Swain 2005-07-23 02:11
I enjoy your site very much.
Juanel 2008-08-24 21:43
…in Manila where even well-educated people talk and act like; (1) the Philippines is the only country in the world suffering from high oil and food prices; and (2) high inflation is the “fault” of just one person.
amazing! i echo your thoughts. dito kasi sa Pinas puro self-interests or their minds were twisted by the communist propaganda. maybe the polluted air of manila added to these elitists minds convolution too. people mindset here are those of an islander. not that we are not a group of island. but, jeez, we should not be a predictable lot who are expected to think and act like islanders!
i salute your blog and what you write. most of the time, it is not replete with the liberal idealist crap. it is concerned with the REAL TRUTH.
Willie Galang: Well, I never really made any claims in the past that I write about the real truth as you put it, but I hope I am close. Plus, I don’t have a monopoly on that very elusive “truth.” ;)
You came to visit at the right time! This blog was offline for quite a while and I just restored the last two posts earlier today. Most importantly, I just turned on the commenting system. Thanks for leaving a message.