CEBU CITY, Philippines — A top official of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board in Central Visayas (LTFRB-7) has advised commuters not to pay the new minimum fare if drivers of public utility vehicles (PUVs) fail to post the new fare matrix in their units.
LTFRB-7 director Eduardo Montealto, Jr. reminded drivers and operators that unless they secure and post the new matrix, they cannot collect the new fare rate from their passengers as the fare increase takes effect on Monday, October 3, 2022.
“Di g’yod pwede (to implement the new fare hike without the fare matrix) kay mao man nay atoang basis sa pilay pamasahe. Duna nay penalty kung walay taripa,” he told CDN Digital.
“Tan-awon pod ninyo ang taripa kung original ba na ilang gikabit kay naa man nay equivalent nga plate number sa ilang sakyanan,” he added.
READ: LTFRB to PUV drivers: No fare hikes until Oct. 3
Montealto said a total of 176 operators have already claimed their original copies of the latest fare matrix from the regional agency’s office here in Cebu City.
These operators run a total of 1,500 PUV units region-wide, comprising public utility jeepneys (both traditional and modern), buses, taxi cabs, and transportation network vehicle services (TNVS).
He, however, said operators of more than 11,000 PUVs have yet to claim their matrix copies.
The LTFRB 7 has not set yet a deadline for the claiming of their new matrix copies.
The LTFRB approved last September 16 a P1 hike for traditional and modern jeepneys; a P2 hike for ordinary and air-conditioned city buses (as well as provincial buses), and a P5 increase for the flag-down rates of taxis and the TNVS. This was after various transport groups in Luzon submitted another petition for a new fare increase to the LTFRB central office.
Montealto, however, said that as of now, there is no other pending request for another fare increase.
“So far mao pa ni. Dugay man gani ni siya nakalusot. Adto pa nang previous nga board. Giayo g’yod na nila og balanse kay di man basta-basta g’yod nga naay fare increase,” Montealto said.
Before the new fare increase was implemented on October 3, a price hike took effect last August 30.
/bmjo
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