EDITORIAL — Greed

Blurb:  We know that drivers aren’t asking for this increase out of greed; they are asking out of survival. But they are also asking for something commuters may not be able to afford.

Too much

If it could have its way, transport group Piston wants a P10 fare hike, bringing the base fare for Public Utility Jeepneys (PUJs) from P13 to P23 to alleviate the situation of PUJ drivers suffering from the ongoing crisis in the Middle East.

Piston filed its petition before Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) the other day.

“Yes, there are rollbacks. But diesel prices are still more than P100,” said Piston national president Mody Floranda, “if we consume 30 liters per day, at least P3,000 is lost in the drivers’ income.”

The LTFRB earlier approved the P1 fare hike for traditional jeepneys set to take effect last March 19, but President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. held off its implementation saying it was too heavy a burden for the commuters.

In an earlier editorial, we disagreed with this move, saying that the P1 fare hike should have been given to the drivers. Commuters wouldn’t mind shelling out a bit more every day because the alternative of having no more drivers plying their regular routes is just too scary.

However, the thought of an extra P10 for every trip may be too much, especially for those taking multiple PUJ trips to and from work or to and from school.

While we are for alleviating the plight of PUJ drivers affected by the ongoing developments in the Middle East that seem to jack up fuel prices endlessly, we also think a P10 fare hike is just too much, and now it will be the ordinary commuters who will be suffering needlessly.

The drivers aren’t the only one suffering in this crisis; the commuters are too. For them, every peso counts.

Of course, Piston members know this and may also be employing the strategy of asking for something that the LTFRB cannot give them so they can get a lower amount, maybe more than the P1 fare hike earlier granted; it’s a basic psychology hack. But then again they might actually be serious about this P10 petition.

We know that drivers aren’t asking for this increase out of greed; they are asking out of survival. But they are also asking for something commuters may not be able to afford.