DoTr: Over 13M passengers have availed of free MRT3 rides since March

Over 13 million passengers have benefited from the free ride program of the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT3) since March, the Department of Transportation (DoTr) said Tuesday. 

In an advisory, the DoTr said a total of 13,150,386 commuters availed of the program from March 28 to May 16, of which 8,472,637 were recorded from March 28 to April 30, while 4,677,749 were reported during its extension in May. 

At the same time, the carrying capacity of MRT3 has been beefed up after it began operating its four sets of 4-car CKD trains. This increased the operations of the railway system, which had 18 to 20 3-car CKD train sets before. 

Each three-car train set can accommodate 1,186 passengers, while a four-car train set can carry 1,576 passengers.

According to the DoTr, the free ride program comes following the massive rehabilitation of the MRT-3 line. It is also aimed at alleviating the financial burden of commuters amid rising fuel prices. 

It was initially implemented from March 28 to April 30, but was extended until May 30. —VBL, GMA News