Starting Monday, the flagdown rate for taxis will be reduced by P10.
Passengers will pay P30 instead of P40 due to lower fuel rates as a provisional rollback ordered nationwide by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB).
However, the rate of P3.50 for each succeeding 300 meters of travel remains.
This means taxi meters don’t have to be recalibrated, said LTFRB member Antonio Enrile Inton Jr.
“ I am appealing to drivers and operators to follow the order. To passengers who encounter problems about the reduced fare, you can file a complaint with the LTFRB regional office,”” said Inton.
Drivers and operators who don’t obey the order can be apprehended and the operator’s franchise may be cancelled.
The petition was filed by Negros Oriental Rep. Manuel Iway, former LTFRB regional director.
He wasn’t happy though because the his petition for a P1 rollback in the the succeeding 300 meters was not granted.
“It’s too little, too late”, Iway told radio dyLA.
Drivers and operators opposed the order and a transport cooperative warned of possible legal action to stop the implementation.
Metro Cebu Taxi Operators Association (MCTOA) President Richard Cabucos criticized the LTFRB order.
He said a taxi driver’s income is expected to drop between P300 to P400 for 24 hours of driving.
He warned of possible conflicts between the drivers and passengers who may not know of the change because of the limited time to spread the news.
Cabucos said taxi operators can’t reduce the rental fee of their units because their units are new and maintenance cost of spare parts and tires is high.
A taxi operator, Jun Marquez, from Talisay City and a father of 11 children, said his over-all income is around P1,500 after paying rental of the unit. But that income is good for two days because after driving for 24 hours he stays home for 24 hours.
Marquez said if the flagdown rate is cut by P10, he will lose at least P500.
With this, he said, he will ask his operator to also reduce the rental for the taxi unit.