THE local government of Zamboanga City has deployed some 50 fare dispatchers in strategic locations to avert instances of overcharging by tricycle and taxi drivers as the hosts the Private Schools Athletic Association (Prisaa) National Games 2023.
Prisaa 2023 reeled off Thursday afternoon, July 13, with some 6,000 delegates coming from different parts of the country.
Assistant City Administrator Rodolfo Saavedra, Jr. said the dispatchers, who were deployed starting Monday, July 10, are tasked to issue local government unit (LGU) dispatch slips and mediate as passengers and drivers haggled to negotiate fare rates.
The dispatchers will work by shifts starting from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m., and 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. and even up to 1 a.m.
They will be deployed until July 19.
The fare dispatchers are assigned at malls, tourist spots, accommodation areas, sports venues, airport, port, integrated bus terminal, Canelar barter trade and other convergence sites for Prisaa visitors.
Saavedra said the move is primarily intended to solve commuters’ problems with price manipulation or overcharging by drivers of tricycles and similar public conveyances.
He said that after filling in the necessary information on the LGU-dispatch slip, the passenger and the driver must come to an agreement as to what a tricycle or taxi ride into town should really cost, based on the Guide for passengers on tricycle fares per City Ordinance 416 or the Fare Matrix Ordinance of the City.
The accomplished dispatch slip shall be handed over to the passenger by the dispatcher before embarking the vehicle, Saavedra said.
If and when the driver insists on overcharging, the passenger may file a complaint through the hotline numbers 0945-539-6200 or 0947-967-4660, he added. (SunStar Zamboanga)