P4 minimum jeepney fare okayed in Cebu

CEBU — What Cebuano commuters have long feared has finally happened: the minimum jeepney fare in the province is now P4.

The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) said no groups objected to the demand of Cebu jeepney operators for a higher minimum fare. The new fare became effective yesterday.

The fare increase hit commuters only days after oil companies imposed another round of fuel price increases.

Jeepney drivers, however, cannot implement the new fare rate unless they have paid the filing fees and secured the new fare matrix.

LTFRB regional director Ignacio Casumpang said that during the Sept. 6 public hearing, only two persons strongly objected to the P4 minimum fare, but both failed to formalize their opposition.

The petitioners, the Alyansa sa Nagkahiusang Drayber-Operator Alang sa Reporma (ANDAR), Southern Cebu Operators and Drivers Association Inc. and the Nagkahiusang Drayber sa Sugbo (NADSU), had proposed to collect an additional seven centavos for every succeeding kilometer on top of the P1 increase for the minimum distance of five kilometers.

ANDAR president Jaime Moncada said drivers are pleased with the LTFRB decision.

Earlier, ANDAR had vowed to defer its plan to ask for another P50 increase in minimum fare after oil companies jacked up the prices of petroleum products by more than P1.

Although the LTFRB acted favorably on the fare hike petition, this would not stop transportation groups from staging protest actions.

NADSU and affiliates of the militant Bagong Alyansang Makabayan are planning to go on strike next week to protest the new round of oil price increases. — Freeman News Service