Everyone has their bad days. If taxi driver Joel Ramos was having one, it became worse after his vehicle was boarded by Dave Say Horca and his wife last Monday evening.
Horca’s account of a violent outburst by a taxi driver who was asked by passengers — Horca and wife — for the P10 flag-down discount ordered by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB-7) is all over social networks and news reports.
His story and proof – a snapshot of the taxi as scene of the crime – drew the sympathy of thousands of viewers.
Who hasn’t had a run-in with a surly taxi driver over correct change?
Horca’s experience had more dramatic elements — two P5 coins flung at their faces, a threat with a knife, getting cursed on the street.
But that’s one side of the story.
Ramos vehemently denied the charges in an inquiry yesterday at the LTFRB regional office. He said he was willing to take a drug test too.
It will come down to one man’s word against another until additional evidence is presented.
Horca has his wife as a witness and co-complainant but the protective spouse has made it clear she should not be exposed to any more trauma.
If there’s a CCTV camera out there in the IT Park that captured the late night commotion, it would be useful indeed.
The LTFRB will look into allegations of overcharging and abusive behaviour on the part of the taxi diver. Each offense counts a penalty of a P1,000 fine for the driver and P5,000 for the operator. In a long-drawn out hearing, it’s clear that the one who loses first and longest is the driver.
Temporarily sidelined by his operator because of the controversy, the fellow has little means to hire a lawyer to defend him and is out of work throughout the process.
Maybe that deprivation alone is enough of a wake up call for Ramos and all other taxi drivers who think abusive behaviour will get overlooked.
This I.T. park episode of driver’s rage has given commuters the idea of one more tool of self-defense — a cameraphone to document any encounter of abuse and to act as a deterrent. (The driver did hurry back to his cab after noticing the zoom lense pointed at his face.) If not for the photo that captured the cab’s body number, the passengers would not have been able to trace the driver’s identity or his operator.
The LTFRB should take the incident as a serious cue that last week’s order for a P10 flag down rollback needs wider dissemination to avoid tensions between drivers and passengers.
Taxi drivers who feel cheated of part of their day’s income with the LTFRB order and operators who are formally opposing the policy should remember that the riding public is not part of the war. Take their grief to the LTFRB; don’t take it out on commuters.
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