THE Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) has decided to restore the P40 flagdown rate for taxis, nearly two years after it reduced it to P30 in March 2015.
LTFRB 7 Director Ahmed Cuizon said that the formal order has yet to be signed by the chairman and board members.
“At the earliest, it may be signed on Feb. 8. After the signing, it will be published in a national newspaper of general circulation. Only then will the order take effect,” Cuizon said.
The petition to restore the flagdown rate was filed by the Philippine Taxi Operators Association, which includes the Metro Cebu Taxi Operators’ Association.
The chairman of another taxi association, the Cebu Integrated Transport Service Cooperative (Citrasco), said the decision will be a big help to the drivers.
Citrasco Chairman Benjamin Ryan Yu also urged taxi operators not to increase taxi rentals for now, to give the drivers some time to benefit from the order.
Taxi rentals, he added, range from P800 to P1,200 depending on the units. Drivers, most of whom work 24-hour shifts, have to raise more than that amount, in addition to paying for fuel, to support their families. Gas prices had dropped by more than P10 per liter in the previous six months when LTFRB reduced the flagdown rate to P30 in March 2015. The P40 rate was approved in January 2011.