Effective December 15, P7 minimum fare, P10 taxi add-on off

CEBU - The arguments about loose change when paying the fare will soon end as the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) officially announced a 50-centavo provisional fare rollback yesterday.

This means that effective December 15, the minimum fare in Cebu and other parts of Central Visayas will be P7. This shall also hopefully end the complaints of commuters that drivers do not give the 50 centavos change.

The decision came amidst the continuing downtrend in the prices of fuel in the world market.

LTFRB-7 regional director Romulo Bernardes said that although there are no guidelines yet for Central Visayas, he said that the 50 centavos provisional fare rollback will be implemented for the first five kilometers.

Although in Manila, a fare reduction of ten centavos after the first five kilometers will also be implemented, Bernardes said, he has no idea yet whether there will also be the same decrease for Central Visayas.

Central Visayas has a current rate of P1 for every succeeding kilometer after the first five kilometers.

LTFRB has also reduced bus fares by 50 centavos for the first five kilometers and 10 centavos for every kilometer thereafter.

The LTFRB had also removed the P10 add-on fare for taxi. But Bernardes said this will only be up to March 15, 2009, depending on the result of the public hearing on the matter on February 18, 2009.

This reduction however is no reason to rejoice according to lawyer Manuel Iway, who is fighting a lonely battle for the hundreds of thousands of commuters.

“The amount (50 centavos) is too small and too long. Dugay gi aprubahan sa LTFRB unya pwerte pa gyud dugaya. That is a big slap on the face of the commuters,” said Iway.

The lawyer has petitioned for a rollback of P2 in the minimum fare for jeepneys and the removal of the P10 add-on in taxi fare.

Iway also lambasted LTFRB’s conduct of public hearings, which he dubbed as an exercise in futility.

 “Useless lang gyud na ilang public hearings nga gihimo kay ang mga operators man lang gihapon ang magbuot dili man ang publiko. They decide kung unsa ang gusto sa mga operators and not on the evidence presented,” Iway added.

Richard Cabucos, president of the Metro Cebu Taxi Operators said that they will just wait for the official memorandum of the LTFRB telling them to reduce their fare and they will implement it immediately as soon as they have the copy.

“Mutuman mi ana. Wala nay problema, but we have to have the official memorandum first so that we can disseminate that sa amoang mga drivers,” said Cabucos, who is also the owner of Richielda and Taipan taxis.

Alex Bordadora, chairman of the Visayan United Drivers Transport Service Cooperative (Vudtrasco) said that the provisional fare reduction is a welcome development.

“Maka-ayo na sa riding public. Kay kami di man lang mi sa transport sector, riding public sad mi. Di mi musupak anang nakab-ot nga desisyon sa LTFRB,” Bordadora said.

Vudtrasco has more than 500 units of jeepneys and 80 units of taxis plying around Cebu.

Bordadora said that it’s high time to reduce the fare considering that prices of diesel and liquified petroluem gas have also reduced.

Ryan Benjamin Yu, managing director of Cebu Integrated Transport Service Cooperative (Citrasco) said that they have no objection on the recent LTFRB decision.

“As far as Citrasco is concerned, we are ready and willing,” Yu said.

Nick Villahermosa, adviser and former president of the Cebu Provincial Bus Operators Association said that they will be having a meeting on this matter next week considering that buses in Cebu are not actually implementing the rate as approved by LTFRB.

Villahermosa said that Cebu is only implementing P8.50 for the first five kilometer although the rate authorized by the LTFRB is P9.50.

While the succeeding kilometer approved by LTFRB is P1.40, they only opted to implement P1.20 per kilometer.

Cebu has currently 400 bus units traveling in the Southern and Northern parts of the province. 

Villahermosa said that although prices of fuel have significantly reduced, the prices of spare parts including the tires have remained the same. —/NLQ (THE FREEMAN)