THE Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board-Davao Region (LTFRB-Davao) announced that following the distribution of stickers against errant taxi operators, the number of complaints the office has received regarding errant taxi drivers has decreased.
Nonito Llanos III, regional director of LTFRB-Davao, said that the stickers would guide the taxi riding public procedures on how to file complaints against errant taxi drivers. He emphasized that reporting these drivers is now easier for the riding public and that complaints will be forwarded to Davao City Reports and then to LTFRB.
“Based on our record sa legal nato, mas nikunhod ang mga naga-complain karon (Based on the record of our legal team, the number of complaints has lessened) because our taxi drivers are aware of this system already and our taxi operators are very much cooperative with us,” he said during the Wednesday media forum, on October 30, 2024, at the Ayala Malls Abreeza.
Llanos revealed that the idea stemmed from collaborative meetings with the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (Caap), the City Transport and Traffic Management Office (CTTMO), the Land Transportation Office (LTO), and the Public Safety and Security Office (PSSO). He said they devised a plan to lessen or even eliminate contracting in the city and the placement of stickers inside taxis is among their solutions.
Although the regional director explained that their office receives reports on a daily basis, these do not only pertain to contracting. Llanos said that some complaints involve poor driver behavior, substandard vehicles, and dirty interiors of taxis.
Earlier, CTTMO, Caap, PSSO, and LTFRB distributed stickers to the 5,400 registered taxi units in Davao City. The goal of the stickers is to provide passengers, especially visitors, with a sense of safety by offering a clear way to report errant drivers.
To recall, the issue of taxi drivers not using meters gained attention when Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa shared a passenger's complaint on Facebook about an excessively high fare demanded by a Davao City taxi driver. RGP