Public warned on taxis with same body number

CEBU, Philippines - The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board has warned the public on taxicabs having the same body numbers.

In a weekly media forum sponsored by Philippine Publishers Association Inc. (PAPI)-Cebu Chapter yesterday, LTFRB-7 Regional Director Ahmed Cuizon confirmed the report on the illegal sharing of body numbers among taxi units.

As a policy, taxi units that reach the age limit are no longer allowed to transport passengers but are converted into private cars.

However, Cuizon said, some operators transfer the body number and the franchise to the new unit but the old one bearing the same body number is still running, especially during nighttime, as colorum.

“I am asking the public to be vigilant,” Cuizon said.

There have been incidents wherein passengers looked for the taxi unit through its body number to supposedly retrieve items left on the vehicle, but it has turned out that the unit with the same body number is not the one they were actually looking for.

Cuizon said he has also heard such incidents.

Implemented  sometime in 2008, the Taxi Sequence Numbering System was seen to stop colorum taxicabs or those operating illegally.

There are 6,137 taxi units in the region, which correspond to the TSNS sequence that starts at 0001 and ends in 6137.

Taxi operators are required to paint the four-digit sequence on both sides of the unit in bright red color.

The number by paint or by sticker shall be placed in the middle portion of the left and right doors and top center portion of the rear and back windshields.

LTFRB’s memorandum circular 2008-019 issued on October 6, 2008 stipulates that the LTFRB en banc noted that there is a clamor among stakeholders in the taxi transportation service for the adoption of a numbering system to ensure easy identification and monitoring of authorized taxi units.

The memorandum also requires all taxi operators or franchise grantees to secure from LTFRB-7 the permanent numbers to be assigned to individual authorized units, which shall be issued confirmation verification certificate of the number upon payment. —/NSA (FREEMAN)