THE Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) has ordered a permanent taxi flagdown rate of P30 nationwide, including Cebu, for the first 500 meters.
In an en banc consolidated decision signed by Chairman Winston Ginez and Board Members Antonio Enrile-Inton Jr. and Romaldo F. Corpus, the LTFRB also retained the succeeding rate of P3.50 but increased the distance from every 300 meters to every 500 meters.
The LTFRB also set the rate of P3.50 for the waiting time per 90 seconds.
The new permanent flagdown rate of airport taxi, which is also called yellow taxi, is P60 for the first 500 meters and P4 per succeeding 500 meters.
Recalibration
The schedule for the recalibration and resealing in the LTFRB central office, National Capital Region and regional offices, including LTFRB 7, will be in April for plate numbers ending 4,9 and 2; May for plate numbers ending 5, 0 and 7; and June for plate numbers ending 1, 3, 6 and 8.
Not satisfied
However, Rep. Manuel Iway (1st district, Negros Oriental), the petitioner, said he was not satisfied with the LTFRB decision, which he described as pro-taxi operators and anti-riding public.
Iway, a Cebuano, who is running for congressman under Abang Lingkod Party-List, which represents farmers, fishermen and workers.
Iway said the LTFRB should have approved his petition to bring down the succeeding taxi rate from P3.50 to P2.50 for the first 300 meters because fuel is now cheap.
The riding public must enjoy the benefit of the cheap fuel prices in the country, but they were deprived of it because of LTFRB’s wrong decision, he said.
Iway said he may file a motion for reconsideration of the latest LTFRB decision.
The LTFRB issued an order last March 6, 2015 mandating the provisional reduction of the taxi flagdown rate from P40 to P30, but the P10 will just be deducted from the total fares in the taxi meter because there is no order for recalibration and resealing.
Iway noted that when the flagdown rate was raised from P30 to P40, the price of gasoline was P48 per liter.
Forced
Several transport groups opposed to the deduction of fares, but LTFRB was forced to order a permanent deduction because fuel prices further went down.
Based on the data gathered from the Department of Energy (DOE), persistent oversupply battered oil prices since middle of last year and remains the main reason behind price slump.
The drop was later heightened by fresh concerns about China’s economic health that provided worries over demand for the world crude oil.
Gasoline prices have decreased several times and now range from P29.90 to P37.70 per liter. Diesel prices have also gone down with the prevailing price of P18.15 to P21.55 per liter.