Letter to the Editor — Road cheaters

How dare the Nagkahiusang Driver sa Sugbo (NADSU) ask for another P1.50 jeepney fare hike and pass another burden to the riding public, when in fact its members, the jeepney drivers, don't even follow and respect the law, especially in claiming fare matrix and giving discounts to passenger students?

This dishonest group of jeepney drivers cannot get public sympathy by doing unlawful things, and now they want the public to understand their side? Are they crazy or something? They always ask for fare increase and after that they don't give a damn about following the law. They unite just for their own benefit.

How many times have we observed a number of abusive jeepney drivers that never learn their own lesson because the government agency concerned is too lazy to catch them, especially the Land Transportation Office (LTO) who doesn't bother catching those jeepney drivers who cheat with their fare matrix?

In other places, jeepney units who cannot post their official fare matrix, or the so-called "taripa" inside their vehicles, are seriously hunted down by authorities, while here in Cebu it seems that the LTO doesn't give a damn. They don't catch these road cheaters, even their own deputized agents are so used to witnessing how rampant this kind of violation everyday.

Is LTO waiting for the public to complain? Isn't it their jobs to monitor and implement the law, and see to it that no one abuses it? Taxpayers nowadays expect better service from the government. To think, they are the ones who pays the salary of these people working in the government like the LTO.

My heart cannot just afford to see these road cheaters live like there's nothing to be afraid of, when in fact they should be apprehended for too many reasons. Have you seen a jeepney driver giving discounts to his student passengers? Have you witnessed that if a certain jeepney doesn't have fare matrix, drivers only collects P5? Honestly is totally absent from these situations.

These acts are illegal but they're so rampant that I can't count the many instances I've witnessed these kind of situation when riding a jeepney. Students who demand that they should pay P5 only instead of P6 get into trouble because the jeepney conductors and drivers get angry with them.

Will the LTO wait before passengers and drivers kill each other because of a discount dispute or not displaying a fare matrix but illegally collecting P6?

I am calling the attention of Atty. Alex Leyson of LTO on this matter. Please make strict regulations to implement the student fare discount within PUJ units, because I am very sure jeepney drivers don't respect these kind of student privileges. And please tell your men to open their eyes so that they can see how many PUJ units still don't have the official fare matrix.

I hate to say this but once I heard a jeepney driver commenting "Ok ra na walay taripa brad oy, wala man nanakop ang LTO, ug makapangulekta man gihapon kog P6 bisan walay taripa.Ngano mokuha pa man ko?" Upon hearing this, I shook my head, and in my mind I planned an award committee someday, so that I can give the LTO the grand slam Kalabasa Award.

And for NADSU Chairman Antonio Pogado, you are defending a group of too many abusive people. Yes, your group of jeepney drivers. Can you educate them to follow the law? If not, then I will believe you are just there for the drivers concerns and not for the general public.

Mark Aguilar Rapadas
Guadalupe, Cebu City