Cebu transport groups mull fare hike petition

CEBU — Transport groups in the province are contemplating filing another petition for a fare increase.

Jaime Moncada, president of the Alyansa sa Nagkahiusang Drayber Operator Alang sa Reporma (ANDAR), said the fare increase it would ask for would depend on the total aggregate amount of fuel price hikes and the price rollbacks since the start of the year.

ANDAR, together with the Southern Cebu Operators and Drivers Association Inc., had filed for a P1 fare hike for jeepneys but the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) disapproved it.

Oil prices in the country increased by 40 centavos per liter last Nov. 2 amid the rising cost of crude oil in the world market.

As to another increase in fuel prices, Fernando Martinez, president of the New Petroleum Players Association of the Philippines, said the possibility is there but that it is too early to predict.

However, Martinez, in an earlier interview, said the Nov. 2 increase of 40 centavos per liter was just the initial one.

He said there was a $3 increase per barrel for crude and gasoline products for the month of October. — Freeman News Service