Minimum Fare Back To P7; Taxi Fares Sans P10 Additional Rate

The Christmas wish of millions of commuters all over the country has finally been granted with the rollback in public utility fares starting today December 15.

Starting Monday jeepney fares will be back to the original P7 rate for the first four kilometers and an additional P1.40 for every succeeding kilometer. The dreaded and much-criticized P10 additional fare for taxi has also been scrapped and the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board XI will start removing them today.

LTFRB administrative office Edgar Violan however said this is only a provisional fare rate which is effective from December 15, 2008 to March 15, 2009. The rollback came as a result of the series of rollbacks in oil prices in the world and even the lcoal markets.

The LTFRB will spearhead a hearing on February 18, 2009 to discuss final fare rates for jeepneys and other public utility vehicles.

P0.50 Fare Rollback in Davao Effective Today

Effective today, the minimum jeepney fare in Davao City will roll back to P7.50 after the P0.50 fare rollback announcement by the Land Transportation Franchise and Regulatory Board. Students, differently-abled and the elderly will pay a minimum fare of P6.

The rollback came after the National Consumer and Commuters Protection Inc. filed a petition with LTFRB for a fare rollback following the reduction of oil prices in the world market and the rollback in diesel and gasoline prices the latest of which was the P5 rollback by the Big Three.

LTFRB XI administrative office Edgar Violan said drivers should implement the fare rollback effective Friday, November 7. He said case number 2008-1654 reduces the provisional fare for the first four kilometers from P8 to P7.50. But since this is only a provisional rollback, he added, the reduction will not apply on the succeeding kilometers.

Fare reduction not in the offing

There is very little chance for the realization of the Filipino commuters’ wish to get a fare reduction before the end of the year.

This after the new chief of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board failed to issue a clear pronouncement on the fare reduction earlier promised by former LTFRB chair Elena Bautista.

“There is still no clear cut pronouncement on the fare reduction so the commuters will have to pay the old rate,” LTFRB XI Regional Administrative Officer Edgar Violan said.

Violan just came from Manila for the national planning workshop and a briefing on the first 100 days of new LTFRB chair Thompson C. Lancion.

It was hoped two weeks ago that the different LTFRB regions were called to Manila for an announcement on the fare reduction. However, Violan said that the fare reduction issue was not even discussed during the planning.

Violan said they were however informed that a consumers’ group already petitioned LTFRB for a fare reduction and such petition will still be scheduled for hearing.

“It is now up to the Board to rule on the fare reduction petition; it is out of our hands,” he said.

Bautista already made a pronouncement on the possibility of a fare reduction before she was promoted but the change in the leadership of the Board has resulted to a delay on the decision to approve the fare reduction.

Dabawenyos have been clamoring for a fare reduction due to the successive reduction in oil prices. The price of oil has been reduced at least five times in the last three months.(lovely a. carillo)