Complaints vs abusive cabbies on the rise

MANILA, Philippines - Complaints against abusive and rude taxi drivers are increasing, Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez said yesterday.

He said data the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) has given lawmakers in congressional hearings show a significant spike in the number of complaints against cab drivers.

“The agency’s records showed that complaints increased by 43.03 percent in 2015 to 6,944 cases, compared to the 4,855 recorded in 2014,” he said.

He added that the majority of the complaints involved taxi drivers who refused to convey passengers (1,012 cases), followed by those who showed rude behavior (946 cases) and drivers who overcharged passengers (790 cases).

He noted that only recently, the LTFRB investigated two cab drivers for berating passengers who refused to give them additional fare on top of what is reflected in their meters.

The additional fare was supposedly for the extra gasoline consumed due to traffic congestion.

Romualdez urged the concerned agencies to act firmly and fast on complaints against abusive drivers, not only of taxicabs but of public utility buses and jeepneys as well.

“Commuters already have to bear with hellish traffic in the streets of Metro Manila. Their traffic woes are compounded by abusive drivers who deserve to be penalized for various infractions of rules governing the operation of public utility vehicles (PUVs),” he said.

He said many PUV drivers are also often guilty of speeding, which threatens the safety of passengers and in many cases, lead to fatal accidents.

He said the LTFRB, Land Transportation Office and Metro Manila Development Authority as well as the Philippine National Police “should work closely with one another so that the drivers of PUVs adhere to traffic rules and regulations.”

“They should throw the book at repeat offenders so that the riding public can be amply protected from abusive and homicidal drivers of taxicabs, buses and jeepneys,” he added.

Romualdez also suggested that a review of the “boundary” system should be done immediately to prevent speeding, overcharging of passengers and other violations.

Despite the recommendation of the Department of Labor and Employment that PUV drivers be given fixed salaries, operators of PUVs continued with the boundary or quota practice.

He pointed out that many studies have found this system to be the cause of frequent accidents that lead to injury or death of passengers, motorists and even bystanders.