THE Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) 7 urged passengers to report drivers of both modern and traditional public utility jeepneys (PUJs) who collect the extra P1 without displaying the fare hike notice.
The provisional fare hike takes effect on Sunday, Oct. 8, 2023.
The minimum fare of traditional PUJs will now be P13 instead of P12, while the minimum fare of modern PUJs will be P15 instead of P14.
Reynaldo Elnar, the LTFRB 7’s chief transportation development officer, said operators must secure the notice from their office since they won’t be issuing a fare matrix because the increase is provisional.
“In this increase, no fare matrix will be issued. What the operators need to secure is a signed notice and they must display it on top of the old fare matrix,” Elnar said on Wednesday, Oct. 4.
The notice is free of charge, unlike the fare matrix which costs P50 per copy.
A fare matrix functions as a pricing chart in public transportation to assist both passengers and operators in determining the cost of the ride.
On Tuesday, Oct. 3, the agency approved the nationwide P1 fare increase to help PUJ operators deal with their escalating operational costs due to rising fuel prices, and ensure the sustainability of public transportation services.
Penalty
LTFRB 7 Director Eduardo Montealto Jr. said drivers must obtain and prominently display the signed notice on top of their old fare matrix inside their vehicles to collect the fare increase.
Montealto encouraged passengers to report violators to their office or to local authorities.
He said collecting the extra P1 without displaying the notice is considered overcharging, which is an offense punishable by law.
According to LTFRB’s Joint Administrative Order 2014-01, penalties for overcharging are as follows: P5,000 for the first offense; P10,000 and a 30-day impoundment for the second offense; and P15,000 with the possibility of certificate of public convenience cancellation for the third offense.
Elnar said the agency is currently evaluating a petition submitted by Pasang Masda, the Alliance of Concerned Transport Organizations, and the Alliance of Transport Operators and Drivers Association of the Philippines to raise the base fare for traditional PUJs from P12 to P17 for the first four kilometers, with an additional increase of P2.80 for each subsequent kilometer.
Mixed reactions
Shiela Marie Manabat, a 22-year-old resident of Barangay Sambag 1, Cebu City, said she spends around P56 daily commuting to and from her work as a product specialist in a software company at the Cebu Business Park.
For her, a P1 fare hike is a burden as she became the family breadwinner after graduation.
“In the long run, P1 will affect my budget, especially since I still have to secure the maintenance medicine of my father,” she said on Wednesday.
Gregory Perez, chairman of Pagkakaisa ng mga Samahan ng Tsuper at Opereytor Nationwide Cebu, said on Tuesday that while the P1 fare hike could offer some relief to drivers, it would merely serve as a “band-aid solution” to the ongoing increase in fuel prices.
Perez suggested that the Marcos administration focus on holding oil companies accountable for potential overcharging and promptly repeal Republic Act 8479, or the Oil Deregulation Law, which was enacted during President Fidel Ramos’s term in 1998.
The law removed the Department of Energy’s authority to set gasoline and petroleum product prices, giving control to market forces.
He also said the rising prices of essential goods like rice, coupled with the recent fare hike, are taking a toll on the public, considering the relatively “small” approved salary increase in the region.
In September, the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board 7 granted a P33 minimum wage increase that took effect on Oct. 1.
Daily minimum wages in Class A to C areas for non-agriculture establishments now range from P420 to P468, while daily minimum wages for establishments with less than 10 workers in both agriculture and non-agriculture sectors now range from P415 to P458.