Mandaue tricycle drivers show mixed reactions to 2 passenger rule

Mandaue City has allowed tricycles to ferry two passengers instead of only one. | Mary Rose Sagarino

MANDAUE CITY, Cebu, Philippines —Tricycle drivers in Mandaue City have mixed reactions on the city government letting them ferry two pasengers per trip.

Tony Bacalso, a tricycle driver, said that during the implementation of the city’s one-passenger policy he only earned P120 a day, but now that the city allowed them to carry two passengers at a time he could bring home P200 per day.

However, for Roberto Prada, another tricycle driver, the new policy would sometimes help them and sometimes it would not.

Prada said the number of passengers to ferry was increased, but the fare was also reduced from P25 to P20.

He said that they could not ferry two passengers at a time all the time because there would be days with few passengers and they would have to share the passengers with the other drivers.

Also, Prada said that they would not usually wait for other passengers especially if a passenger had been waiting for some time.

“Dili man permi naay kuyog. Usahay usa ra unya maikog man sad mi sige papaabuton, unya 20 pesos na lang” said Prada.

(It is not all the time that a passenger has a companion with her or him. Sometimes, we feel concerned for letting the passenger wait for quite a while and then the fare would only be P20.)

Prada also claimed that he also heard from the other tricycle drivers that there were still some traffic enforcers who would apprehend tricycles carrying two passengers.

Tricycles at their parking area wait for their turn to ferry passengers in Mandaue City. | Mary Rose Sagarino

City Councilor Jimmy Lumapas, chairman of the committee on transportation, earlier said that this week would be the city’s full implementation of the new policy.

Adine Quiño, a passenger, said since the fare was reduced to P5 she would now prefer to ride a tricycle unlike before when the fare was P25, she would just walk from her house in Barangay Looc to the city’s public market in Barangay Centro to save money.

Quiño hoped that the fare would go back to the normal P8 rate before the pandemic.

The city on Wednesday, May 19, 2021, has allowed tricycles to ferry two passengers at a time after Lumapas’ resolution was passed by the city council on their regular session.

The city wants to help tricycle drivers improve their income.

The first passenger needs to sit inside the tricycle while the other one will sit at the back with a plastic barrier installed between the driver and the passenger.

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