THE Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA), operator of LRT-2, said revenue in the first six months fell 24.84% to P481.90 million, reflecting the impact of fare discounts imposed during the energy emergency.
In the six months to June, LRTA carried 31.75 million riders, up 15.29% from a year earlier.
The Department of Transportation (DoTr) had ordered a 50% discount on all LRT-2 and Metro Rail Transit fares in the wake of the emergency declaration following the outbreak of fighting in the Persian Gulf.
In the second quarter, LRTA posted a 37.77% decline in gross revenue to P179.82 million, at a time when passenger traffic rose 14.40% to 15.09 million.
For 2026, the LRTA is projecting fare collections of P1.1 billion on ridership of 60.62 million.
The LRTA said daily riders will average about 165,624 passengers. If the LRTA target for the year is realized, the total will exceed the 56.98 million logged in the last full pre-pandemic year of 2019.
On Monday, the DoTr announced the launch of a contactless fare payment system for all stations of the LRT-2, allowing commuters to pay using Visa cards, QR codes, and NFC-enabled devices. — Ashley Erika O. Jose
