Bus drivers wait for commuters at the Philippine National Railway (PNR) terminal in Tutuban, Manila, on April 1, 2024, following the suspension of train operations on March 28. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News

MANILA -- The Philippine National Railways on Wednesday said it is mulling the possibility of seeking added funding to subsidize the fare of PNR passengers who are forced to ride augmentation buses due to the five-year suspension of its train service.

The suspension is giving way for the construction of the North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) project. 

In a forum, PNR Chairman Michael Ted Macapagal said one of PNR's options is to seek help from the government to subsidize the bus fare. 

For now, Macapagal said, they are using the lowest bus fare matrix available from the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB). 

PNR to pause Metro Manila operations for 5 years 

”Ito pong naging usapan namin with LTFRB, gamitin na lang yung matrix ng pinakamababang pamasahe that is available. Mag-uumpisa yan ng P15 tapos matatapos ng P150-P250 depending on the distance… If we will take it further, ihihingi natin to ng subsidy sa national government, this will have to go to the chain of command,” Macapagal said. 

(What we're using is the lowest matrix available from the LTFRB that is available. It ranges from P15 to P150-P250 depending on the distance. If we will take it further, we will ask subsidy from the national government.) 

The PNR train operator also assured the passengers that they are taking the necessary measures to make sure that bus dispatching are on time or every 30 minutes as advised. 

This was after some passengers complained and were confused by the deployment of the bus service last week. 

PNR commuters take bus from Tutuban 

Buses were supposed to be deployed from the Tutuban and Alabang stations every 30 minutes starting at 5 a.m. But some passengers complained of its “erratic schedules,” after the second trip of the bus allegedly arrived about 2 hours after the first bus.

“Merong nag-complain na 1 o 2 na umalis yata 40 minutes hindi 30 minutes. Sabi ko lets stick sa 30 minutes… Sabi nung team manager nung bus company, 'Sir konti pa lang ang pasahero kaya nadelay ng 40 minutes, hinintay na dumami.' Ang sabi nila, 'Okay sir, we will continue na every 30 minutes may dadaan',” according to Macapagal.

According to Macapagal, aside from having augmentation buses, they are also studying the possibility of getting the services of UV Express, which are smaller compared to buses, and won't necessary cause traffic.

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