Taxi driver nabbed for overcharging undercover cop

OPERATIVES from the Highway Patrol Group in Central Visayas (HPG 7) arrested a taxi driver during an entrapment operation for not using a meter while transporting his passenger.

Pretending to be a Palarong Pambansa delegate, the HPG 7 member got into the taxi at Pier 1 driven by alias Bebot, a resident of Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu, and asked the driver to take him to the Cebu City Sports Center (CCSC), the venue for various Palarong Pambansa sporting events.

However, Bebot offered the undercover police officer a fixed fare rate of P150 for the trip rather than using the taxi meter, and the officer accepted.

When the driver took the fare from the undercover policeman upon arriving at the CCSC, the other HPG men—who were already in the area—came forward to apprehend the driver.

As a result, Bebot's driver's license was confiscated, and this will be sent along with a police report to the Land Transportation Office (LTO 7) and the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB 7) for potential administrative sanctions against him and the taxi company.

Bebot regretted what he did.

Since he is the only one working in the family and has two children who are still in school, he hoped that the LTO 7 and LTFRB 7 would give him another chance.

He urged other drivers not to overcharge their passengers to avoid getting caught.

He claimed the amount that he collected was determined by how much the habal-habal drivers collected from their passengers.

When using a meter, the fare from Pier 1 to the CCSC only costs about P75.

Meanwhile, HPG 7 Chief Lieutenant Colonel Wilbert Parilla stated that the apprehensions were made in response to PRO 7 Director Police Brigadier General Anthony Aberin's directive to closely monitor taxi drivers who are charging Palaro athletes and delegates from other places excessive fees. (AYB, TPT)