Huli ka!

Fares for the MRT might go up between P7.50 and P10 if the DOTC approves their pending petition. The petition seeks to raise fares from P10 to P17.50 for the shortest trip and P15 to P25 for the longest by the first quarter of 2009. MRT General Manager Roberto Lastimoso also says that, if approved, the government will end up saving as much as P1.2 billion as this will reduce government subsidies. Anyway, read about it here.

Yikes! A lot of people are now counting on the MRT to help them cope during these tough times. If the fare hike is approved, this is gonna be a major hit for a lot of people. It also means that the government will have a more difficult time in reducing the number of buses plying EDSA since a lot of people will end up using the buses to save money. Sana naman hindi 'to matuloy.

According to DOTC Secretary Leandro Mendoza, the MRT will be adding more capacity (doubling it, according to them) by adding another coach to each of their 3-car trains. Approval for the project is currently awaiting the approval of the NEDA board. Read more about it here.

Finally! This will definitely be a boon to the public as ridership has increased dramatically ever since gas prices started zooming up. And, you never know, this may even lead to the eventual reduction of buses plying EDSA, which will greatly improve traffic on EDSA.

P.S. How does adding 25% more space double capacity?