Sunday, January 9, 2011
TAXI operators and drivers in Davao City have the option to delay the implementation of the fare increase granted by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB), an official said Sunday.
Benjamin Go, LTFRB-Davao Region director, told Sun.Star Davao Sunday that since charging of the new fare has no deadline for the operators and drivers to comply with, they have the prerogative to either immediately implement it or not.
The newly approved taxi fare -- a flag-down rate of P40 from P30 and a charge of P3.50 from P2.50 for the succeeding 300 meters -- will take effect on January 21, 15 days after it was published on January 7.
Davao-based taxi companies had requested the LTFRB-Davao Region on January 4 for a different fare hike in the city as they are only seeking P0.50 increase for the succeeding 300 meters.
Go said they had sent the request to LTFRB central office, but this was junked by the board.
LTFRB ruled that the taxi fare hike will be uniformly implemented except for Baguio City.
Go said that it might take around six months before taxi operators and drivers can uniformly charge the new fare.
After the new fare hike was granted, several of the city's taxi drivers expressed apprehension this will adversely affect their income because of the dwindling number of passengers who can no longer afford the new rate.
"They all have to obey the fare hike, but since there's no deadline, maybe some operators will just take their time and will not immediately comply with the new rate," Go said.
LTFRB emphasized that taxi operators can avail of the increase only if they can provide the two requirements -- the receipt-issuing meter and three sets of uniform for their drivers, which Go believes are a bit harder for them to comply with.
"Basin tuyuon nila na pag dugay (They might intentionally delay the implementation of the new fare)," Go said.(Jereco O. Paloma)
Published in the Sun.Star Davao newspaper on January 10, 2011.
REACTION:
Nowadays, people are so deprive from their work that they spent all morning just to finish what they have done. They do this just to feed their family. Come to think of it, increasing tax fare would be another problem for the drivers because people won't ride taxi's because of the increase of fare by 40. One of my relatives told me that they have that some of the taxi's have alternating methods because they cannot accommodate some taxi's to issue their meter. Another problem would be both is that people will force to ride on jeepneys because of the increase of flag-down. Jeepneys driver might have a higher income compared to the taxi drivers. Taxi driver might increase their income during rainy season because people also are forced to ride on taxi's because of the heavy rain so that they can reached their houses. But once their would be no rain and it's sunny then people will ride on a jeep and that would be a bad part for the taxi drivers.
I think that they would just retain the flag-down of their rate to 30, so that, some people can afford to it. It wouldn't be a hassle in their part. So, taxi drivers can have enough extra income to bring to their families when they got home, because the part that they have been doing is so difficult because they have to wake up early just to meet their passengers to go to their destinations. The government should be aware that they are doing the best that they can even if it is difficult for them to earn.
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