President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. announced on Thursday that the Light Rail Transit lines 1 and 2 (LRT-1 and LRT-2) and the Metro Rail Transit line 3 (MRT-3) will offer free rides to commuters today, 20 December 2024.

In a statement, the President said that the initiative is part of the government’s efforts to embrace the spirit of the holiday season.

“This will ease the financial burden for our citizens who are busy preparing for Christmas,” Marcos said.

“May this bring comfort and make everyone feel the government’s concern this holiday season,” he added.

According to Marcos, the offer will be available for the whole day and is expected to accommodate 1.1 million passengers, the highest number of ridership for the year.

The reason for this decision — especially the date of 20 December — came as it is the last Friday before Christmas, which is usually the beginning of the holiday exodus as people come home to celebrate the holidays with their loved ones.

The expected ridership today for LRT Line 1 is 460,000; for LRT Line 2 is 200,000; and for MRT Line 3 is 450,000, according to Presidential Communications Office acting Secretary Cesar Chavez.

He added that the railway transport system in the metro is situated near bus terminals which include busy areas such as Caloocan City, Manila, Pasay, Cubao and North Avenue in Quezon City and the Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange.