Monday, July 14, 2008 Give discounts, councilors ask By Rene H. Martel Sun.Star Staff Reporter
WITH public utility jeepneys (PUJs) starting to collect the new P8 minimum fare today, operators and drivers are reminded to give the mandated 20 percent discount for students, senior citizens and persons with disabilities.
They must also make sure that each vehicle has the green fare matrix, otherwise, they will be penalized for overcharging if they demand the new fare, said Land Transportation Office (LTO) 7 Legal Counsel and Operations Section Acting Chief Vicente Gador Jr.
Complaints about drivers refusing to grant discounts or insisting on collecting the new fare rates without displaying the matrix should be directed to their office, he added.
Depending on the evaluation, an erring driver could get suspended aside from being fined P500, he said.
In June alone, prices of gasoline and diesel rose by P6 a liter. That same month, President Arroyo ordered the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, in Executive Order 731, to monitor “political and security developments” provoked by a series of oil price increases.
The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) approved the fare increase as the price of diesel soared from P38.45 per liter last January to around P56 per liter this month.
Commuters with complaints about overcharging need to report to LTO and fill up the appropriate forms, so the agency can summon the driver to a hearing, Gador said.
Tough
If they establish that a driver has committed the same offense for the third time within a 12-month period, he will be suspended.
It is easier for the LTO, Gador said, to apprehend a driver since his route is already established, unlike private vehicles which are harder to intercept.
LTFRB 7 Director Romulo Bernardes said yesterday that they distributed over 2,000 fare matrices to operators not only from Cebu but from neighboring Central Visayas provinces as well.
Operators need to present their PUJs’ official receipts, certificates of registration, and certificates of public convenience as requirements for the release of the matrices.
Bernardes also reminded taxi drivers they will be allowed to start asking for P10 as additional fare, on top of the metered amount, by July 24 yet.
Discounts
The Cebu City Council last week urged the LTO and the City Traffic Operations Management (Citom) to strictly enforce the law on fare discounts, especially after receiving reports that there are drivers who do not grant it.
In a measure drafted by City Councilor Arsenio Pacańa, the council said the different agencies must work to protect the rights and interests of students, the elderly and persons with disabilities.
“(There are) some unscrupulous PUV drivers, in cahoots with their conductors, plying the Cebu City routes who are not conscientious enough to implement the 20 percent fare discount,” the council said.
The council also asked the LTFRB to spread information on the implementation of the new fare increase and the discounts, “so that the riding public as well as the driver would be enlightened, thereby lessening the unnecessary friction brought about by the lack of understanding of the said increase in transportation fare.”
Spike
Oil prices briefly spiked to a new record above $147 a barrel Friday, as rising hostilities between the West and Iran and unrest in Nigeria sent investors rushing back to energy markets.
“If you think your gasoline bills are expensive now, wait till you get your home heating bill this winter,” said Stephen Schork, an analyst and trader in Villanova, Pennsylvania.
While US consumer demand for gasoline is waning as people try to save money, other factors are keeping energy costs high: The weak dollar, refineries cutting back on production and resilient demand for diesel fuel.
Diesel is a distillate fuel produced and distributed similarly to heating oil, so diesel demand often affects the price of heating oil.
The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries warned Thursday it cannot replace the shortfall if Iran is attacked and takes its crude supplies off the market. (RHM/With AP)
