New LTO-7 chief to commuters: Report abusive taxi drivers
CEBU CITY, Philippines — The new chief of the Land Transportation Office in Central Visayas (LTO-7) said the agency will continue its effort to crack down on abusive taxi drivers in the region.
Newly appointed LTO-7 director Glen Galario, in a press conference on Thursday, July 6, 2023, warned taxi drivers not to refuse passengers or negotiate with fare rates and also encouraged the public to assert their rights as commuters.
“Daghan man mga buotan, pero naa sad koy nadunggan nga mga reklamo nga kana bitawng, especially kanang ngari sa pier [Cebu City Port]. Mamili og pasahero. Bawal man na, basin nakalimot sila,” he said.
(There are many good drivers, but I also hear a lot of complaints, especially those at the pier. They allegedly choose their passengers. In case they forgot, that’s prohibited.)
“Kung mamili ka’g pasahero, undang og drive og taxi, pangita og lahi nga pamaagi nga makapanginabuhi ka.”
(If you choose your passengers, just stop being a taxi driver, look fort another job.)
Newly appointed LTO-7 director Glen Galaria answers questions from the media on Thursday, July 6, 2023. CDN Digital photo | Wenilyn Sabalo
Galario took note of the complaints they received from the public on alleged reports of taxi drivers refusing to ferry passengers, overcharging or negotiating with the passenger on how much the fare is instead of using the calibrated taxi meter.
How to report abusive taxi drivers?
Galario requested the public to raise their taxi complaints either to LTO-7 or the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board in Central Visayas (LTFRB-7) Public Assistance and Complainant’s Desk, either through phone, email, or their official social media pages.
“Giawhag nako ang mga complainants, paduol kamo diri sa amo, file kamog complaint aron i hearing, due process, dayon, pagmapamatud-an nato nga naay sala, we will impose whatever the law says,” the director said.
(I am urging complainants to come to us, file complaints so that we can set a hearing, due process, then if we prove they committed a mistake, we will impose whatever the law says.)
He said the commuters must take note of the taxi’s body number (license plate number) and specific details, such as the date, time, and place where the incident took place. It is better to get the driver’s name; if this is not possible, it would help if they could describe the driver’s physical appearance too.
/bmjo
READ MORE:
New LTO-7 chief promises to release half a million vehicle plates, prioritize road safety
New LTO-7 chief says they will help SRP collector retrieve unreturned cash
Disclaimer: The comments uploaded on this site do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of management and owner of Cebudailynews. We reserve the right to exclude comments that we deem to be inconsistent with our editorial standards.
