LTFRB approves P7 minimum jeepney fare

CEBU, Philippines - The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board has approved the 50-centavo provisional jeepney fare reduction in Central Visayas.

LTFRB-7 director Reynaldo Elnar yesterday said his recommendation for the fare reduction was given a green light by their board members on Thursday and may be set for implementation this Monday.

LTFRB board members, including chairman Winston Gines, will be in Cebu on Monday to attend a core group meeting on the proposed Cebu Bus Rapid Transit project.

Elnar said it will be Gines who will formally announce the implementation of the jeepney fare reduction.

“Si Chairman (Gines) na lang tingali ang mo-announce ana. I do not have the copy of the official order yet. Si Chairman na ang magdala sa order ana,” he said.

It can be recalled that former Cebu City councilor Augustus  “Jun” Pe  filed a petition before LTFRB-7 last December seeking reduction of jeepney fares by 50 centavos to slash the minimum rate to P7 from the current P7.50.

Pe cited the series of fuel price rollbacks as a reason in filing the petition.

Various transport groups attended a public hearing last December 16 but were divided on their stand. Some agreed for the fare rollback while some were against it.

Meanwhile, Elnar said he will be calling for a public consultation on January 16 over calls to reduce fares for other public utility vehicles apart from jeepneys.

He shared that LTFRB in Manila has conducted a taxi fare reduction hearing the other day.

Congressman Manuel Iway had filed the petition reducing taxi flag-down rate from P30 to P20 and implementing a reduction of P1 for each succeeding 300 meters or from P3.50 to P2.50.

Iway likewise filed a petition to reduce fares for buses and other public utility vehicles, still citing fuel price slides.

“I was instructed by Chairman Gines to conduct similar public consultation here to know the sentiments of the operators and the riding public,” Elnar said.

Mini-bus operators in Cebu have already reduced their fares early this month by P1 or from P6 to P5 for the first five kilometers and by 20 centavos or from P1.20 to P1 for the next succeeding kilometer.  — /JMD (FREEMAN)