AN official from the Land Transportation Office-Davao Region (LTO-Davao) urged the public to avoid patronizing taxi drivers who do not use their meters.
Eleanor Calderon, regional director of LTO-Davao, bared this during the AFP-PNP press forum at The Royal Mandaya on Wednesday morning, April 24, 2024.
“Mao nang muhangyo lang ta sa mga pasahero nga ug muingon gani ang driver nga kontrata lang ta ma’am gikan diri padulong didto P150 then please manghangyo ko sa publiko ayaw mo sugot (We encourage all commuters not to agree if a driver insists on a fixed price, such as saying 'from here to there is P150),” she said.
She said that taxi drivers are granted a franchise with the condition that they use their meters. She advised commuters to insist on metered fares if a driver demands a fixed rate.
“Ug dili musugot, pwede mo muhawa sa taxi i-report dayun ninyu sa LTFRB, report ba ninyu sa LTO (If the driver refuses, you can exit the taxi and report the incident to the LTFRB [Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board], or report it to LTO),” she said.
The director said that these practices persist because commuters continue to patronize such drivers; if no one uses their services, they will stop breaking the law.
“Sa mga operators, please check your drivers kay remember naa pod baya tay rule dira nga ang sala sa inyong mga drivers mahimo pod baya sala sa operator (To taxi operators, please monitor your drivers because remember that if a driver makes a mistake, it reflects on the operator as well),” she added.
She also said that operators should always instruct their drivers to use meters to avoid penalties of at least P5,000 for franchise violations.
The issue of taxi drivers not using meters was highlighted by Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa, who shared a passenger complaint on his Facebook account about a high fare rate demanded by a taxi driver in Davao City.
The LTFRB-Davao has already addressed this issue with the operator and driver. RGP
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