I AM sure that there are local ordinances regulating the fares tricycle drivers charge passengers. Craft a bigger scale. The LTFRB regulates the fares charged by public utility vehicles on commuters.

Oftentimes,, matrices or schedules of fares are ignored and the drivers impose rates that are not acceptable to passengers and the fault lies mainly on regulatory agencies.

A ride from the Fiesta Communities to nearby Xevera costs P25 per person and P70 is charged to these going to Poblacion or city proper which is sometimes upped to P100. A ride to Dau costs the passenger a whopping P240. And he has no choice but to pay when he carries bags of groceries and other items.

In Bohol and Cebu, tricycle drivers are, well, more honest and straight forward. When I rode a trike in Bohol sometime ago, the driver told me the exact fare and returned whatever change! Deserved.

Here in Pampanga, particularity in Mabalacat City, the opposite is prevalent. Here, these drivers think of ways to fleece money from you, mouthing different excuses.

Sadly, the jeepney drivers now charge new rates not sanctioned by the LTFRB. A ride to Dau costs a passenger P18, P15 for a senior citizen and P18 to P20 to Astro and P15 for a senior that is fixed demands a discount.

Some drivers cut short their trips to Xevera in Tabun, especially if only one passenger remains on board. These scheming drivers transfer or refer you to other drivers bound for Xevera with several passengers still on board.

If not for the prohibitions imposed by IATF, public utility drivers would try to accommodate as many passengers as before the pandemic who could fit in inside the jeepney! Whew!

Overall, the public utility and tricycle drivers should be thankful for being allowed to operate in order for them to earn their keep.

The authorities should advise them to keep in mind the welfare of passengers and be tenderly considerate of them.