Transport group bats for P10 jeepney fare

In the wake of fresh increases in the price of fuel over the weekend, the umbrella transport organization Philippine Jeepney Operators and Drivers Alliance Foundation Inc. (PEJODAF) demanded yesterday that the minimum fare for jeepneys be pegged at P10.

PEJODAF president Lando Marquez said the “meager” 50-centavo provisional additional fare granted by the government last week has already been “diluted” by the total price increases in fuel.  The group originally sought a P1.50 provisional fare increase.

Marquez said that since the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) approved the 50-centavo provisional fare hike, oil companies have jacked up prices of fuel by a total of P3.50, rendering the emergency fare price increase practically worthless to jeepney drivers and operators.

He said an amended petition calling for the approval of P10 minimum regular fare for jeepneys has been filed before the LTFRB last Thursday.

Marquez said the P10 minimum fare would cushion the impact of continuing oil price increases on the earnings of jeepney drivers and operators.

“Based on our computations… the increase we seek does not address the price of oil we buy,” he told The STAR in an interview.

Marquez pointed out that aside from fuel price increase, jeepney drivers and operators also have to contend with rising prices of spare parts and tires as well as motor batteries.

“The minimum jeepney fare should be P11.25, but because we are a regulated sector, and we are thinking of the welfare of commuters, we agreed on P10. We know that tuition and the prices of prime commodities are going up,” he said.

He said the P10 minimum jeepney fare is enough “for us to survive, so we would not be bankrupt.”

Marquez also lamented the proliferation of “sales traffic enforcers” in various cities in the metropolis, who allegedly “earn” commissions by apprehending jeepney drivers who purportedly violate traffic regulations, as they try to meet their alleged “daily quota” of traffic violation tickets.

Marquez appealed to the local government units (LGUs) to stop these enforcers and help their constituent-drivers survive the rounds of oil price hikes.