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Friday, June 24, 2005
LTFRB suspends downtown ban on Mandaue jeeps
DRIVERS will be allowed to ply the Mandaue-Ayala-Jones-Mandaue route for 30 days, starting June 22.
That means law enforcers, including the Cebu City Traffic Operations Management, cannot apprehend drivers plying this route within this period.
Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) Chairperson Ma. Elena Bautista yesterday made the announcement at the office of Land Transportation Director 7 Director Alex Leyson after attending the Citom board meeting.
Anthony Pogado, chairman of Nagkahiusang Drivers sa Sugbo (Nadsu), for his part, won’t give an assurance that they won’t go on strike until the franchise amendment of the route is resolved.
Impact
He said Bautista ordered the LTFRB central legal office to study the impact of the amendment and on how to reconcile it with the Cebu City ordinance, prohibiting the entry of jeepneys to that route.
Bautista advised Nadsu to file charges against LTFRB if the group thinks a government’s action will jeopardize its members’ livelihood. The court ruling may be made basis to change whatever the action is, she said.
But Pogado said Nadsu cannot afford to fight Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña in court.
On the other hand, Pogado said Bautista told him that drivers and operators whose income cannot be sustained with the amended franchise may receive an alternate route.
Under this system, an operator may apply to transfer to another route at no cost.
Old rate
Meanwhile, the old rate of P5 for the first five kilometers is still being imposed in the entire region, even though the P6 minimum fare took effect last June 20.
LTFRB 7 Director Rogelio “Jingjing” Osmeña said only two operators have so far applied for certification for the new fare increase.
Without the certification, he said, operators and drivers cannot collect the new rate.
He said most operators, including the Cebu Integrated Transport Service Cooperative, Visayas United Drivers Transport Cooperative and the Alyansa sa Nagkahiusang Drivers Alang sa Reporma, want to defer implementation of the increase. EOB
(June 24, 2005 issue)
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