This is to give credit where credit is due.
As a regular rider of the Manila Metro Rail Transit System Line 3 (MRT 3) from Quezon City to Makati City, I have experienced great ease in commuting via our trains these past months, compared to the hell-like experience of every ride in the previous years.
Kudos to President Duterte and to the current MRT management for the improved quality of service enjoyed by hundreds of thousands of commuters.
The extensive rehabilitation of the MRT 3’s 16.9-kilometer line (with 13 stations from North Avenue to Taft Avenue) by Sumitomo and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries is slowly paying off, increasing train ridership from 350,000 to 550,000 daily.
The number of trains in operation has increased, with less waiting time for commuters on the platform, and shorter queues, or even none, in going up the station, unlike in the past when one had to hurdle long lines for an hour or more, before one could go up. The escalators and elevators that are working now are an added bonus.
For the further improvement of the service, may I suggest including in the public address system, specifically during peak hours, this reminder: “No fighting inside the train. Commuters are expected to behave appropriately, at all times, while inside the train.”
With jampacked rides, some passengers behave inappropriately, either through abusive language toward female riders, or in the case of men, even hysterical confrontations.
In case of unexpected breakdowns, the MRT management owes it to the public to announce such on TV, radio or social media. The announcement should also include the number of trains in operation and the minutes of interval per train, because those inputs are critical to riders. One’s travel time and the number of minutes spent on the train are dependent on such factors.
Finally, may I commend MRT personnel Melvyn Nino for being such a proactive employee. How he handles complaints, with tact and diplomacy in every call I make through one of the agency’s landlines, makes him a cut above other public servants. May his tribe increase!
BELEN DOCENA-ASUELO, bdasuelo@yahoo.com