Hold on to your Stored Value tickets, people, no need to wallow in self-pity just yet because all you have left in there barely covers a single ride. It’s still just an idea being floated in the Senate by Senator Grace Poe, who chairs the Committee on Public Services tasked to fix the mess that is our public transport system.
This is not her original idea, by the way, just something that was suggested to her, which she in turn passed on to Department of Transportation officials in their recent budget deliberation hearing.
Here’s how it would work, according to the senator: The MRT-3 people would add coaches to the current fleet they have running, label it Business Class, and guarantee more space and a dedicated line for commuters. For this, Business Class MRT riders will have to pay anywhere between P200 to P300.
The MRT-3, otherwise known as the Edsa Line, otherwise known as the Train to Busan on rush-hour days, even on the regular, runs 16.9 kilometers along the length of Metro Manila’s main artery. Fares are pegged at P13 for the shortest run to P28 for the end-to-end commute.
And who would pay practically ten times the current fare? Senator Grace Poe says the people who own private cars, because they can afford it.
Okay, assuming the Grab option does not even exist, that the Business Coach idea is a genius idea and it does happen, we have a couple of early bird questions we have before we ride Business:
Will they serve food and drinks and will there be entertainment on board?
Senator Poe did compare the coach service with those of the airline industry, so should we expect as much. Hey, you paid P200, you should at least get a bag of peanuts and a bottle of Cobra energy drink as you watch YT vids of Raffy Tulfo in Action.
Will we be sitting in La-Z Boy chairs?
The guarantee is comfort and space, so we demand only the best for our P200!
Will the coaches have their own toilets? And will these toilets have bidets—because bi-dhey is life.
Paying a premium for transportation is always synonymous with the privilege of having better access to toilets. Huwag kalimutan ang bidet, please!
Will the lines at the station be carefully segregated so that kitang-kita kung sino ang mga Anak ng Diyos?
The Senator did say that initially she felt the idea was discriminatory, but she realize that people do pay a premium for better services. Except that it clearly separates the haves and the have-nots, and we don’t want any tension happening between them, kind of like that other Korean movie we saw after Train To Busan—Parasite (it’s a must-watch!)
