LTFRB to hear bus, taxi fare cut pleas today

MANILA, Philippines - The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) will hear today petitions seeking to reduce fares for public utility buses and taxis.

LTFRB Chairman Winston Ginez said the hearing would start at around 9 a.m. at the agency’s main office in Quezon City. The petitions were filed by Negros Oriental Rep. Manuel Iway.

Iway, a former LTFRB board member, said prices of diesel have been going down and are expected to decline further in the next several months.

The lawmaker urged the board to reduce the taxi flagdown rate from P40 to P30, while the P3 charge for every 300 meters traveled and P3 for every two minutes of waiting be both reduced to P2.50.

He also sought a reduction in the fares of airport taxis, which charge higher fares than regular taxicabs.

For buses nationwide, Iway wants the P10 fare for the first five kilometers be reduced to P8 and the P1.85 fare for every succeeding kilometer to P1.50.

He said taxi and bus fares were last adjusted in 2011.

Adjustment mechanism under review

Meanwhile, Ginez said the board is waiting for the results of a study being conducted by the National Center for Transportation Studies of the University of the Philippines on a petition to institutionalize an automatic fare adjustment mechanism for public utility jeepneys.

Earlier, transport group Pasang Masda filed a petition seeking to protect drivers in the event of a fuel price hike.

Under the proposal, jeepney fares will automatically adjust based on prices of petroleum products without the approval of LTFRB.

Pasang Masda president Obet Martin said diesel prices, which have gone down below P30 per liter in the past month, justifies further reduction of the minimum jeepney fare to P7.

Another transport group opposed Martin’s statement.

Piston president George San Mateo said the prices of other basic commodities and services should first be reduced before another jeepney fare rollback is implemented.

The LTFRB approved a provisional P1 decrease in the minimum fare last month.