How to ride public transportation in Manila

Metro Manila doesn’t have one transit system — it has several, stitched together. Three train lines run on separate elevated tracks, each with its own operator and its own fare. Underneath them, tens of thousands of jeepneys and buses cover almost every street, running on routes that are common knowledge to locals and close to invisible to an app. None of it is free, none of it is unified, and all of it is cheap by international standards once you figure out which line you need.

The basics

Three rail lines form the backbone, all elevated and all running through the EDSA/Manila core:

• LRT-1 — the oldest line, running north–south from Dr. Santos/Baclaran through Manila’s downtown (Taft Avenue, Central Terminal, Carriedo) up to Fernando Poe Jr. station (Monumento) in Caloocan. Run by Light Rail Manila Corporation (LRMC), a private concessionaire.
• LRT-2 — runs east–west from Recto in Manila out to Antipolo in Rizal province, serving Cubao along the way. Run directly by the government’s Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA).
• MRT-3 — runs the length of EDSA, Metro Manila’s main artery, from North Avenue in Quezon City down to Taft Avenue in Pasay, overseen by the DOTr through MRT3.

Below the trains, jeepneys (the classic, and increasingly the newer “modern” versions) and buses cover the rest of the city, regulated by the LTFRB. There’s no fixed timetable or route map most visitors can read in advance — routes are named by their endpoints (painted on the jeepney’s windshield or side) and you flag one down anywhere along its path.

How to pay

• Rail (LRT-1, LRT-2, MRT-3): Tap a beep card at the turnstile when you enter and again when you exit — fares are distance-based, so both taps matter. No beep card? Buy a single-journey ticket at a teller window or ticket vending machine for that one ride.
• Jeepneys and most buses: Cash, handed to the driver or passed down the line of passengers to the front. Bring small bills and coins — drivers often can’t break anything large.
• Some modern jeepneys, select city buses, and P2P (point-to-point) buses also take a beep tap — look for the beep sticker on the vehicle.

A beep card costs ₱30, with a ₱14 minimum load, and can be loaded at train stations, partner terminals, or through the beep app. You can also buy load through GCash, Maya, or BPI — then tap your card at a station loading device to claim it (allow 15–30 minutes after purchase). It’s accepted at all three rail lines, many P2P buses, and a growing number of modern jeepneys.

Fares

There’s no single “Metro Manila fare” — each line sets its own, and one of them changed dramatically in 2026:

• LRT-1 charges a ₱16.25 boarding fare plus ₱1.47 per kilometer (effective April 2, 2025) — the farther you go, the more you pay, deducted automatically when you tap in and out.
• LRT-2 and MRT-3 have been running at half their normal fare since March 23, 2026, under a government-ordered, across-the-board 50% discount. If you tap a beep card, the discount is deducted automatically; single-journey tickets already show the discounted price.
• Seniors, persons with disabilities, and students get a 50% fare discount using a concessionary white beep card (tap in and tap out) — applying for one costs a one-time ₱30 fee.
• Jeepneys and buses charge cash fares set by the LTFRB, and they change often enough that we’re not going to print a number here that might be wrong by the time you read this — check the fare chart posted inside the vehicle.

Getting from the airport

Here’s the one thing to know going in: Metro Manila’s airport, NAIA, has no train or light rail connection. None of LRT-1, LRT-2, or MRT-3 reaches any of NAIA’s four terminals, so you won’t be tapping a beep card straight off your flight.

Your options from the terminal:

• Metered taxi — the standard yellow taxis, metered by the trip.
• Fixed-rate (coupon) taxi — a flat, zone-based fare booked at a counter inside the terminal; convenient, but typically pricier than a metered ride.
• Ride-hailing — apps like Grab operate at NAIA.

Terminal operations at NAIA (including shuttle transfers and parking) are now run by a private operator, New NAIA Infrastructure Corporation (NNIC), which took over from the government’s MIAA. Confirm the metered or fixed-rate price before you get in, and check your ride-hailing app’s quoted fare up front.

Apps to download

• beep — the official app for the beep card: check your balance, reload from your phone, and buy QR tickets for some bus routes.
• Grab — the dominant ride-hailing app in Manila; also useful for food delivery if you’re not in a hurry to get anywhere.
• Sakay.ph — a Philippine-made trip planner that’s better than general map apps at untangling jeepney and bus routes.
• Google Maps — fine for the three rail lines and for basic orientation.

When it runs

None of the three rail lines runs all night. LRT-1 weekday trains run from 4:30am to about 10:30–10:45pm, with the whole schedule starting 30 minutes later, at 5:00am, on weekends and holidays. Hours shift around public holidays on all three lines — check the operators’ own social media accounts before a very early or very late trip.

Jeepneys and buses run throughout the day and into the evening on busy routes, thinning out noticeably after dark.

Accessibility

Seniors and persons with disabilities get a 50% fare discount system-wide on a concessionary white beep card (a one-time ₱30 application fee) — tap it in and out like a regular card. Step-free access varies by station — contact the relevant line’s operator directly before you travel if you need it.

Etiquette & local quirks

• Jeepneys stop on request — there’s no bell or button. To get on, flag one down from the roadside; to get off, say “Para” (stop) loud enough for the driver to hear, or knock on the roof/ceiling.
• Passing fares forward is normal jeepney etiquette: hand your cash to the person next to you, who passes it toward the driver, with change coming back the same way.
• Exact change helps everywhere — on jeepneys and buses especially, drivers often can’t break large bills.
• Expect it to be full. All three rail lines and most bus routes run at or past capacity during rush hour; queues at busy LRT/MRT stations can take a while.

Good to know

• It’s not one network. Switching between LRT-1, LRT-2, and MRT-3 means exiting one system and re-entering another — there’s no free transfer, and at some interchange stations (like Doroteo Jose/Recto) it’s a walk between separate buildings.
• Traffic is the real competitor to transit. Jeepneys and buses share the same congested roads as everyone else, so a short-looking trip on a map can take much longer at the wrong hour.
• Fares and schedules change often — the 2026 discount on LRT-2/MRT-3 and the jeepney/bus fare adjustments that came in and out through the year are a reminder to double-check current prices rather than trust an old receipt or a travel blog from a year ago.