The Department of Transportation announced EDSA bus carousel will no longer give free rides from 11 PM to 3 PM daily.
The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) allowed the collection of bus fares at the Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA) Bus Carousel from 11 PM to 3 a.m. daily.
The LTFRB said that fewer buses were plying the route and that the government could no longer provide free rides on the EDSA Bus Carousel for 24 hours, allowing the fare box system, the Manila Standard reported.
However, the agency said that it will issue a new order to guarantee the carousel's continuous operation, preventing commuters from long queues at its terminal area.
The Libreng Sakay program for the EDSA Bus Carousel is only available from 4 a.m. to 11 p.m. until December 2022, as ordered by the President last July.
But the President extended the free rides until year-end for students on Metro Manila’s trains and the Philippine National Railways (PNR).
The Department of Transportation (DoTr) noted that the free train rides for students on the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT3), Light Rail Transit Line 2 (LRT2), and PNR would be from August 22 until November 4, 2022.
The DoTr pointed out that considered the availability of the budget for service contracting under the 2022 General Appropriations Act for the continuation of the free bus trips.
The agency said it would “ease the burden of rising living expenses on Filipino families and help them save money, especially with the return of face-to-face classes after more than two years.”
While the government ended the free rides for passengers other than students on MRT3, the DOTr said it recommended free rides for students in MRT3, LRT2, and PNR in consideration of the students’ welfare, “whose learning outcomes have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic.”
The DOTr emphasized that the fares on the EDSA railway line were "already heavily subsidized" since it was implemented by the Duterte administration.
This was vital in its decision to recommend discontinuing the free rides for all MRT3 passengers, the Transportation Department said.
Tags: #DoTr, #EDSA carousel, #free rides