Citrasco President Ryan Benjamin Yu explains their P8 fare rate increase to commuters in a public hearing held by the regional LTFRB. CDN Photo/Junjie Mendoza
More commuters came forward to oppose a P1 fare rate increase sought by Cebu-based transport groups in yesterday morning’s hearing held by the regional Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB-7).
And one of the reasons is the failure of passenger jeepney drivers to give a 50-centavo change to commuters.
A college student named Jhera Jean Dilao of Bogo City said drivers often refuse to give them the 20 percent student fare discount.
“Bisan gani kuyog mi sa akong classmate, naka-school ID na me, mohatag mi og P15 nga plete, suklian mi og piso ra (Even if I am with my classmates, wearing our school ID, when we gave P15 as fare for both of us, they only gave us a P1 as change),” Dilao said.
Chris Cabrillo, a senior citizen, and another commuter named Al Cuizon agreed.
But Cabrillo said he is open to a 50-centavo increase on the existing P6.50 fare for jeepneys.
However, Ryan Benjamin Yu, general manager of the Cebu Integrated Transport Service Multi-Purpose Cooperative (Citrasco), said they are pushing for a P1 fare increase for passenger jeepneys since it’s long overdue.
He said their initial proposal was a P2 fare surge during certain hours in the morning and in the afternoon instead of just P1 that they filed last February.
But Yu said they filed an amended petition last September after listening to the sentiments of commuters in the first public hearing last April.
Yu said they even delayed the filing of the amended petition following the decline in fuel prices.
Due to several oil price increases in the past months, their group decided to file their fare increase petition.
“We also have families to feed and we need to sustain our operations to give better service to the public. We are also preparing for the government’s mass transport modernization and they gave us three years to do it,” Yu said.
Another transport group, the Basak Lapu-Lapu City Jeepney Operators and Drivers Association, Inc. – National Confederation of Transport Workers Union-Visayas (Balacjoda-NCTU), filed another petition for a P1.50 fare increase.
Jaime Arapoc, president of Balacjoda-NCTU, said they are pushing for an P8 fare rate due to unstable oil price fluctuations, the rising costs of engine parts and other vehicle accessories.
“The daily take-home pay of the drivers became lower than the prevailing minimum daily wage in the region and this affects the purchasing power of the drivers. There is already an P8 fare rate in other regions and Metro Manila and prices of basic commodities, electricity, water and school fees are all increasing,” Arapoc said.
He also cited the traffic congestion which raised the fuel costs of operators as another reason for their P1.50 fare increase petition.
But Ennoh Fernandez, chairman of the Kilusang Pagbabago provincial chapter, questioned whether the transport groups conducted a survey on how their fare rate increase will impact those below minimum wage who are their biggest customers.
“We believe that this increases you asked is not ‘makiangayon (justified),’ … the core of the petition is based only on the idea of oil price increase.
Actually, there is no oil price increase because from time to time, mo-decrease man sad siya (it would decrease),” Atty. Fernandez said.
“We will not oppose unless they can provide concrete study, and if that is the only solution to address the problem of oil price increases,” Fernandez said.
LTFRB-7 Director Ahmed Cuizon said they are still giving three days to those who failed to attend the hearing to submit their position papers.
He said it will be their central office in Manila who will rule on the fare increase petitions.