LTFRB asked to suspend increase of taxi fare rates

THE 18th City Council during its 83rd regular session on Monday presided over by Vice Mayor Raineir Joaquin V. Uy adopted a resolution requesting the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) to suspend for the meantime the increase of the taxi fare rates.

This is in response to the special report of Councilor Teodulfo Lao Jr., chair of the City Council committee on public utilities, that some of the commuters are complaining on the sudden increase of taxi fare rates without proper information and dissemination.

“I think, there was no proper information being disseminated or being published for the commuters to be aware of this current fare”, he stressed.

Lao said he received several complaints about the increase, saying they could not really afford the increase of 50-percent. This can be burdensome on the part of commuters, he said.

“We wish that the LTFRB should first have total publication to inform the public that there is an increase of the current flag down rate”, he said.

Councilor Lao likewise requested the LTFRB that there should be proper public consultations so that the commuters can also express their sentiments.

“Imagine, the current price of commodities is now at hand plus the current prices of gasoline and other petroleum products and the fare rate increases proposed by the Public Utility Jeepneys (PUJs) and other PUVs are now in the hands of LTFRB”, he opined.

For her part, Councilor Nadya Emano-Elipe suggested that operators will be invited during the meeting of the committee on public utilities to hear the reason of the increase.

She added that some commuters should also be invited so that there will be an exchange of ideas at the committee level. (JBD)