CEBU, Philippines - The flag down rate for taxi fare is expected to increase by P10 from P40 to P50 should the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) approve the petition filed yesterday by the Philippine National Taxi Operators Association.
The petition was officially filed at the LTFRB head office, according to Vigor Mendoza, chairman of 1-United Transport Koalisyon (1-UTAK) which is the mother organization of the Philippine National Taxi Operators Association (PNTOA).
This is the first time all taxi operators nationwide unite and come up with a single petition asking for a fare increase.
Mendoza said that aside from the flagdown rate, the group also asks for a P1-increase in the succeeding 300 meters to make it P4.50 from the current P3.50.
For the rate for waiting time, which is P3.50 for every two minutes, the petitioners are also asking for a P1 increase.
Mendoza reasoned that taxi drivers could no longer cope up with the continued increase in the prices of auto-LPG since the taxi fare was increased last year. The last increase was from P30 to P40 for the flagdown rate and P1 for the succeeding meters from P2.50 to P3.50.
He said auto-LPG has already increased by 48 percent since the last fare increase. Auto-LPG is now at P45 per liter compared to the P30 to P32 per liter last year.
Majority of the 40,000 taxi units nationwide were already converted to auto-LPG from diesel and gasoline due to its low cost.
The conversion was made five years ago and at that time, auto-LPG was still at P28 per liter
"Bumaba ng average of P500 per day yung kita ng mga drivers dahil sa sobra ng mahal ng auto-LPG," Mendoza told The FREEMAN. (Drivers lost an average of P500 daily income because of the high prices of fuel.) — (FREEMAN)