President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. today announced a significant expansion of fare discounts on all Metro Manila rail lines, granting senior citizens and persons with disabilities (PWDs) a 50% reduction in their train fares. This initiative, effective immediately, aims to ease the financial burden of transportation for these priority sectors, allowing them to allocate more of their budget towards essential needs, particularly medical expenses.
This move follows the President’s directive in June to increase student fare discounts from 20% to 50% on LRT-1, LRT-2, and MRT-3. The latest expansion to include senior citizens and PWDs underscores the administration’s commitment to supporting vulnerable populations.
“This program will benefit 13 million senior citizens and 7 million PWDs annually,” President Marcos Jr. stated during a visit to the MRT-3 Santolan-Annapolis Station. “We know that students, PWDs, and senior citizens need our help because their income is very limited. That’s why we thought of this as a way to assist our PWD and senior citizen commuters.”
Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon echoed the President’s sentiments, emphasizing the government’s continuous efforts to alleviate the daily struggles of commuters. “The President’s directive is clear: always prioritize the welfare of seniors and PWDs. This 50% train fare discount is a small step to make public transportation more affordable for our priority sectors,” said Secretary Dizon.
Similar to the student discount, senior citizens and PWDs can avail of the 50% fare reduction every day, including weekends and holidays, with the discount valid until 2028.
To avail of the discount, senior citizens and PWDs simply need to present their identification cards at ticket counters. For those with registered white Beep cards, the 50% discount will be applied automatically. Individuals who have not yet obtained a white Beep card can still avail of the discount using single journey tickets.
This expanded discount program is a testament to the government’s dedication to creating a more inclusive and accessible public transportation system for all Filipinos.
