Transport group: Hike in bus fees exorbitant

CEBU, Philippines - The recent increase in the parking fee and entrance fee for buses and taxicabs at the Cebu South Bus Terminal drew various reactions from those affected.

Jolito Flores, president of the Cebu South Mini-Bus Operators Association, said that his group will be filing a motion for reconsideration before the Economic Enterprise Council of the Provincial Government which is chaired by Governor Gwendolyn Garcia.

The Provincial Government has increased the bus parking fee from P100 to P200 per entry and the entrance fee for taxicab from the previous P10 to P20 per entry effective October 31, 2012.

“The increase is exorbitant. Mo file gyud mi og motion for reconsideration ani kay mugbo ra among ruta and we cannot just increase our fare because that is set by the LTFRB,” Flores said.

Flores, who is also the spokesperson of the Cebu Provincial Bus Operators Association, said that they will also file a petition for terminal fee reduction.

“Wala mi misupak sa increase, pero dili sad ing-ana ka kadaku nga one hundred percent gyud ang increase,” Flores said. (We are not opposing the increase, per se, but the amount of increase.)

The bus and mini-bus fare rate is fixed by LTFRB at P6.00 for the first five kilometers and an additional P1.20 for the succeeding kilometers.

Ryan Benjamin Yu, chairman of Cebu Integrated Transport Service Multi-purpose Cooperative (CITRASCO), said that an increase of P10 for taxi’s entrance fee is very high.

“Ang mahitabo ana, ang pasahero gyud ang makabayad anang entrance fee. Or kung dili sila mubayad, ang taxi anha ra gyud kutob sa entrance. Dili na mosulod sa terminal ang pasahero sa taxi,” said Yu, who is also the chairman of Cebu Confederation of Transport Operators and Drivers Asssociation, Inc. (The drivers will pass on the extra fees to the passengers otherwise, no driver will enter the terminal. They will just let the passengers disembark outside the gate.)

CITRASCO owns at least 200 taxi units.

Yu said that CITRASCO will support the petition and motion for reconsideration that will be filed by CSMBOA and CPBOA.

Vic Sapio, president of Consumers Rights and Economic Welfare said that it is improper that taxi passengers will be made to bear the payment of the increased entrance fee.

Sapio, together with the officials of the Freedom from Debt Coalition-Cebu, will be having a meeting to discuss this matter, among others.

“Dili man tingali maayo nga ang pasahero sa taxi ang mobayad sa entrance fee,” Sapio said. (I think it’s not good to pass on the fees to the passengers.)

Earlier, Governor Garcia suspended the P5 entrance fee for passengers at the South Bus Terminal. — (FREEMAN)