No More Libreng Sakay? LTFRB Eyes Discounted EDSA Carousel Fares Instead

(SPOT.ph) Sorry, commuters. It seems like the free EDSA Carousel rides won't be returning this 2023 as the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board said Friday, January 27, that it plans to give out fare discounts for passengers instead due to limited funds.

The 2023 P1.28 billion budget for the Service Contracting Program, which allows for Libreng Sakay on the EDSA Carousel buses, will run out in three to four months if it were allocated solely for free rides, Rappler reported, citing Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) Chairperson Teofilo Guadiz.

Aside from discounted fares, the DOTr is also eyeing other strategies to utilize the budget not only for commuters in Metro Manila but also for those living in other urban areas like Cebu and Davao, said Transportation Undersecretary Mark Steven Pastor.

"As regards to the possibility of a fare discount, the service contracting program may adapt other strategies such as seasonal free rides for the public and even if there are discounts, we are looking toward the reversion of the original fare without the recent provisional increase so that our riders can save up money," he told CNN Philippines. 

LTFRB will finalize and release the guidelines once it receives the funding for the Service Contracting Program, said Joel Bolan, chief of the LTFRB Technical Division, during the Laging Handa briefing today.

Also read:
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The Libreng Sakay for the EDSA Carousel was implemented until December 2022 and was set to return this year once it gets funding from the Department of Budget and Management. 

What You Need to Know About the EDSA Carousel

The EDSA Carousel route runs from Quezon City to Paranaque and operates 24/7. It currently has 21 stations:

• PITX
• Ayala Malls/Aseana
• DFA/Shell/Starbucks
• MOA
• Roxas Boulevard
• Taft Avenue
• Tramo
• Ayala
• Buendia
• Guadalupe
• Ortigas
• Santolan
• Main Avenue
• Nepa Q. Mart
• Quezon Avenue
• North Avenue
• Roosevelt
• Kaingin
• Balintawak
• Bagong Barrio
• Monumento

Regular fares start at P15, with an additional P2.65 for every succeeding kilometer. Students are entitled to fare discounts, the LTFRB said.