Labor Day weekend is coming up, and if an out-of-town trip is out of the question, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) has a consolation prize for you: free rides on the MTR.
Apart from enjoying the usually traffic-free streets during the holiday, the DOTr announced this morning that MRT-3 will be giving free rides to all workers on Tuesday, May 1, in celebration of Labor Day. Consider it a make good for the typically brutal commute experience you’d have on a weekday (unless of course, you’re Harry Roque).
Unfortunately, those who usually use LRT-1 or LRT-2 may have to pay full price as its operator has not announced any free rides yet.
GOOD NEWS: In celebration of the 116th Labor Day, DOTr MRT-3 will offer FREE RIDES to ALL PUBLIC AND PRIVATE WORKERS on May 1, 2018, from 7:00 am to 9:00 am, and from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm. #DOTrPH 🇵🇭#DOTrMRT3 #SulongMRT3 pic.twitter.com/tDu1C9ocn6
— DOTrPH 🇵🇭 (@DOTrPH) April 23, 2018
Employees of both public and private institutions can take advantage of the promotion from 7am-9am and 5pm-7pm (best rush hour ever!) by presenting their company ID.
This isn’t the first time the DOTr and MRT offered free rides. To commemorate Araw ng Kagitingan (Day of Valor) earlier this month, all Filipino veterans and one companion were given free rides on the MRT-3.
While the free rides are a nice holiday treat, it, unfortunately, won’t solve the bigger issues Manila’s train system is overloaded with.
The MRT-3 currently operates 15 trains but as recently as February, as little as eight MRT-3 trains were operational.
Earlier this month, MRT-3 offloaded about 1,000 passengers because of a “door failure” that the train operator said may have been caused by people leaning on or forcibly opening the door.
Trains also often break down or are late, causing long queues daily.
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