Students to get free train rides
Credit to Author: LISBET K. ESMAEL| Date: Thu, 27 Jun 2019 16:12:26 +0000
Students will get free rides from the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT 3), Light Rail Transit 2 (LRT 2) and Philippine National Railways (PNR) at select hours from Monday to Friday.
The government’s Free Ride Program would begin on Monday, July 1,Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade said in a news briefing on Thursday.
The schedule of free rides for MRT 3 students riders will be from 5 a.m. to 6:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.; PNR, 5 a.m. to 6 a.m. and 3 p.m. to 4 p.m.; and LRT 2, 4:30 a.m. to 6:00 a.m. and 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Holidays are not covered by the free train rides.
“[This] is to give students incentives to go to school early and go home early. As we give benefits or free transport expense, we are trying to create a culture for a true student,” Tugade said.
To immediately implement the program, the Department of Transportation (DoTr) will only require students — from grade school to college — to present their IDs at the railways systems.
For long-term use of the service, meanwhile, students may apply for a free ride ID online, where the card would include the student’s picture, name, signature, name of school, student number, control number and grade level.
The link for the online registration can be found on the DOTr’s website and on the social media accounts of LRT 2, MRT 3 and PNR, beginning Friday.
Tugade said the program would run for three months, after which they would revisit it to see if there are needed adjustments.
“Give us a window in a period of three months to see if the implementation has become more wholesome. We will improve as the implementation goes on,” the DoTr chief added.
Aside from the free rides from rail systems, students will also enjoy free terminal fees at seaports and airports operated by the Philippine Ports Authority and Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, respectively.
Exemption of students from terminal fees at seaports would begin on July 16.
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