I take the Metro Rail Transit 3 (MRT 3 – official website, route map) almost everyday going to and from work.  And I can say they’re beginning to suck big time in how they handle ticketing!  Well, they sucked since the start, but lately they’re beginning to really screw up with the service!

It used to be that you get very long queues at the ticket booth only during peak hours–7:00 to 9:00 in the morning and 5:00 to 7:00 in the evening (and don’t forget the queues for the security checks), but now it’s just so screwed up that even stored value/prepaid cards are rarely available.  Many times, even single-journey tickets are replaced by stamped-paper stubs!

You see, the benefit of having a stored value ticket is that you don’t have to line up at the ticket counter everytime you need to ride the metro (some people just don’t see the benefit of this).  But nowadays, things must have really gone bad that they’re running out of magnetic cards to sell.

Either that or the MRT 3 staff are just too lazy to harvest the cards collected by the turnstiles for re-encoding.

Another

observation I have is on the automatic ticket-vending machines.  The

MRT management must have spent gazillions on these machines, and they

have never, ever,
been used.  Had the MRT 3 set up these

automated ticket machines since the start, they wouldn’t have to worry

about dealing with very long queues at the couple or so manned

counters.  Why can’t they follow the example of the newer LRT2 line (which, IMHO, is a very well-designed system), where several automated ticket dispensers are present at each station?

At any rate, I think the MRT 3 management should prioritize improving their services.  After all, their line runs on the

major thoroughfare of Metro Manila, which is Epifanio delos Santos

Avenue (EDSA).  It seems such a waste of good resources (private and

government, since the Build-Lease-Transfer Agreement of the MRT 3

project is so screwed up and structured so unfairly, that it’s bleeding

the government of its resources) to leave it in a state of disarray

like that.

And with gas prices skyrocketing, the more reason MRT 3 has to focus on providing better service.  I know of well-endowed folk who used to drive now taking the train because it’s just so darn expensive to drive to work!

On this note, here’s the MRT 3’s vision statement:

To provide an

adequate, regular and faster mode of transport service along EDSA by operating a safe, efficient and reliable light rail

transit system designed to meet the standards of service,

quality and customer satisfaction …

I’m a customer, and I’m not satisfied!

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