Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) 7 director Ahmed Cuizon assured that the grievances of taxi drivers will be looked into.
Cuizon said they have already filed a motion for reconsideration against the taxi fare rollback which will take effect tomorrow.
Taxi drivers and operators yesterday flocked to the LTFRB 7 office to air their opposition.
Under the new rate, the permanent flagdown of taxicab fares will be reduced by P10, which will bring it down to P30, with P3.50 for the succeeding 500 meters and P3.50 for every 90 seconds of waiting time.
Although Cebu taxi drivers are amenable to the P10 reduction on the flagdown rate, they are against the adjustment in the distance, which was increased from 300 meters to 500 meters.
Taxi driver Oliver R. Bultron, 28, said they usually net P300 to P400 for a 15-hour day under the current rate.
Aside from the lesser income, they still have to pay for taxi rent, which is usually at P900 to P1,300 for a 15-hour shift.
Although fuel prices have been declining, taxi drivers are worried that once it starts to increase again, they would have a hard time pushing for immediate new rates or even go back to the old rates.
When the new taxi fare rates take effect, taxi operators and drivers will be required to have their taxi meters re-calibrated slated in April up to May.
Failure to do so would result to a penalty of P5,000.
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