Will costly diesel wipe out PUVs?

Blamed by many for Metro Manila’s chaotic traffic, buses and jeepneys might soon become a rarity on the roads of the mteropolis as transport operators continue to reel from the rising costs of fuel.

While it may ease the city’s traffic woes, the disappearance of a sizeable number of buses and jeepneys will further burden millions of commuters who also have to deal with rising transport fares.

Alex Yague, spokesman for the Integrated Bus Operators Association, and Obet Martin, president of the Pasang Masda jeepney association, told the weekly Kapihan ng Bayan at Sulo hotel in Quezon City that the high cost of fuel is taking a heavy toll on their business.

Yague claimed many operators have already grounded old buses which are less-fuel efficient and are now relying only on new buses.

But he said the new buses were acquired through bank loans for which payment is on installment basis. He said many operators are now having difficulty paying the monthly amortization for the new buses.

“Because of rising prices of oil, bus companies are now delayed in their payments to banks,” he said.

Yague said some operators are losing as much as P2,000 daily per bus.

He said a fare adjustment was not enough because many commuters have shifted to taking the Metro Rail Transit on EDSA and the Light Rail Transit along Taft Ave. He also cited the growing competition of public utility vans or FX taxis.

Martin, for his part, said jeepney drivers earn almost nothing despite the fare hike because of the high cost of diesel. This prompted many of them, he said, to seek other sources of livelihood. Diesel prices rose by P3 per liter recently but President Arroyo ordered a P1.50 rollback in the face of public outrage.

Boat fares affected

In Isabela, even the boat ride across the wide Magat river has become more expensive.

Operators and passengers of the river boats have agreed on a P5 fare hike, from P15 to P20, citing the high cost of fuel.

The boats operate mainly in Ramon town and as far as Diadi in Nueva Vizcaya.

“We cannot help but increase our prices due to the more costly price of diesel for our bancas,” said boat operator Silvestre Tagata.

The rise in boat fares came after similar adjustments in tricycle, jeepney and bus fares in various cities and towns in Isabela, particularly Santiago City, Roxas, Cauayan City, and Ilagan.

Meanwhile, tilapia fish cage operators in Ramon town are complaining of shrinking profits due to rising feed prices, brought about mainly by more expensive fuel.

Tilapia feed prices, they said, have increased by P40 to P598 per cavan.

Samson Baga, a fish cage operator 14 years in the business, said the high cost of inputs needed to maintain the fish cages has significantly slashed his profits from P5,000 to P2,000. — with Charlie Lagasca