CITRASCO exec agrees on additional taxi units

CEBU, Philippines- An official of the biggest transport cooperative in the Visayas agrees that Metro Cebu needs additional taxi units provided that the number should be spread within the next 10 years.

Ryan Benjamin Yu, general manager of Cebu Integrated Transport Services Multi-purpose Cooperative, said the 2,500 additional taxi units are too much if implemented at once. Yu has proposed to make it 250 units every year within the next 10 years.

“Okey ra ko sa additional taxi units but 2,500 taxi units, I think is too much if one time lang,” said Yu.

 Yu added that these new taxi units must be strictly operated by new operators and not by old operators hiding under the skirt of new identities.

He believes that an additional 250 units is already enough to sustain the demand for taxi in Metro Cebu. At present, there 6,000 taxi units operating in Cebu.

“Taxis should not be allowed to use any establishments as a terminal. Kay makita nimo karon ang mga open space sa mga mall, gihimo ng terminal sa taxi. Di man na dapat unta. Mao ng nagnihit ang mga taxi kay gihimo na man na nilang terminal ang mga mall,” said Yu, who is also the chairman of the Confederation of Cebu Transport Operators and Drivers Association Incorporated.

Yu said that the mall or hotel should only be used as drop-off point not as a taxi terminal.

He added that deploying the 2,500 additional units at one time will also worsen the traffic congestion in Metro Cebu.

“Ang additional 2,500 taxi units di na ma-accommodate sa atong lugar. It (traffic) will become really, really worst,” Yu said.

Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board-7 director Rey Elnar, however, said there is no formal request yet from the mall and hotel operators. He, however, admitted that they have already discussed the matter.

Elnar said that once he receives the formal request, he will endorse it to Manila. It is the LTFRB head office in Manila that will forward the request to the Department of Transportation and Communication for final decision.

“It is really up to DOTC to decide on this matter,” Elnar said.

Currently, there is a moratorium in the issuance of taxi franchise including all other public utility vehicles since 2002.

Mall and hotel operators earlier raised the concern for lack of taxi units to LTFRB. The shortage is seen to worsen once the SM Seaside and Robinsons Galeria-Cebu will start to operate.  (FREEMAN)