TAXI drivers must get a Cebu City Traffic Operations Management (Citom) identification card from the Cebu City Transportation Office (CCTO) before they start operating.

Drivers need to secure a photocopy of their driver’s license and old Citom ID if they still have it.

The CCTO has instructed drivers to get a priority number from the guard of the CCTO to schedule the claiming of the ID.

In a Facebook post, the CCTO said it can accommodate only 100 drivers a day, thus, scheduling is needed.

CCTO head Alma Casimero said requiring taxi drivers to secure a Citom ID is mandated under City Ordinance 1605, which requires all drivers of public transportation to display their plate numbers and their names on their ID cards.

“The purpose of this is for the passenger to be able to know the identity of the driver,” said Casimero.

Since Aug. 3, 2020, the CCTO has issued 150 Citom ID cards.

Casimero said a penalty awaits those taxi drivers who fail to secure a Citom ID.

In 2015, SunStar Cebu reported that violators can be fined not less than P1,000 but not more than P3,000, or be imprisoned for not less than one month but not more than six months at the discretion of the court.

City Ordinance 1605 was passed in 1996. (JJL)