WITH event cancellations, class suspensions and community quarantine due to coronavirus disease (Covid-19), taxi drivers suffered a huge loss of income despite the rental discounts given by taxi operators.
Jong (not his real name) said he was thankful for the P200 rental discount of their daily boundary but his income would still be the same with their income on normal days since there are also fewer passengers.
He said he still goes home with around P100 to P200.
Another taxi driver, Rex (not his real name), who took the jeepney on his way home, said some of their taxi operations have been temporarily suspended because of the situation.
He said his income has been unstable for four days already and he has experienced making only P400.
"Igo na lang pangkaon ang mauli sa balay (We are only left with income enough for our daily meals)," he said.
On Friday, March 13, Region 11 Taxi Operators Association Inc. (R-TOA) advised its member-operators to give a P200 discount in the rental of their taxi drivers.
R-TOA president Rogelio Largo said the measure was to encourage taxi drivers to continue servicing the public while still gaining enough income to support their families.
But he said the discount has not prevented the reduction in the number of their taxi units plying the road.
"The taxi business is badly hit. Only about 50 percent of our taxi units are hitting the roads now despite the discounts on boundaries. Our revenues are expected to drop by 50 percent," he told SunStar Davao in a text message.
He said the loss in sales depends on the number of taxi units per operator.
He said the association has about 260 members with a combined fleet of 4,200 taxi units employing close to 7,000 drivers.
"Our greatest concern is our taxi drivers most of whom have ceased driving for fear of not being able to pay their taxi rental obligations. We hope that they find another temporary source of income," he added.
He said the association is supportive of the government's efforts to combat Covid-19 and hoped the cooperation of the public in this time of this health emergency.
He also urged all its member-operators to strictly comply with the directive of Land Transportation and Franchising Regulatory Board for all taxi drivers to properly wear face masks when on duty and to sanitize their assigned taxi units before and after offering their services to the public.