Free ferry rides from Manila to Cavite until end of January

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 8) — Want to reach Cavite from Manila in just 15 minutes to 45 minutes? Why not try riding a ferry?

The Transportation department has launched a new ferry service from the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) to Cavite and from Liwasang Bonifacio to Cavite which will be available to the public beginning Monday, December 9.

Rides on MV Island Sabtang, which services the Liwasang Bonifacio-Cavite route, will be free until January 31, while rides on MB Seaborne Mercury on the CCP-Cavite route will be free until January 9.

"Ang nasabing proyekto ay makapagbibigay ng alternatibong pamamaraan ng transportasyon na tutugon sa ating kasalukuyang suliranin sa trapiko," Cavite City Mayor Bernardo Paredes said Sunday.

[Translation: This project will give us an alternative mode of transportation that will ease traffic congestion.]

MV Island Sabtang can carry 57 passengers, while MB Seaborne Mercury can carry 27 passengers.

Travel time between Liwasang Bonifacio Terminal in Lawton Avenue to Cavite City Port Terminal is estimated to be around 40 to 45 minutes, while travel time between CCP and Cavite City Port Terminal is only expected to be 15 minutes.

After January 31, fares on the Liwasang Bonifacio-Cavite route will be ₱160 for regular passengers, ₱128 for students, ₱114 for senior citizens and persosn with disabilities, ₱80 for children aged four to 11-years-old, and free for children up to three-years-old.

Meanwhile, regular passengers will have to pay ₱200 on the CCP-Cavite route after January 9. Students will pay ₱160, senior citizens ₱143, and children aged four to 11-years-old ₱125 for a ride on the vessel plying that route.

Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade said negotiations are still on to possibly reduce fares on the ferries.