Alleged irregularity in MyBus fare raised

CEBU, Philippines - A transport leader sees a supposed irregularity in the approval of the proposed bus fare for SM’s MyBus despite the franchise of the buses not yet approved.

“I am seeing an irregularity here. During our public hearing last month, the bus fare was never discussed. Unya karon ilaha na lang gi- approved,” said Ryan Benjamin Yu, chairman and general manager of Cebu Integrated Trans-port Service Multi-Purpose Cooperative (CITRASCO).

Yu admitted they cannot do anything about it but warned they will file cases should the franchise of the buses be approved without considering their opposition.

Julieto Flores, spokesperson of the Cebu Provincial Bus Operators Association, said they will not oppose the approved fare because MyBus cannot collect fare from passengers without franchise, anyway.

“Aw okay ra mi ana. Let them ply all routes unya walay plete ang mga pasahero kay malipay ang mga pasahero ana,” Flores, president of the Cebu South Mini-Bus Operators Association, said.

Rey Elnar, regional director of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board-7, said that despite approval of the MyBus fare, the buses cannot collect fare from passengers.

“Wa pa man ni silay franchise, di gyud sila makakulekta og pletehan kay kung mangulekta sila og pletehan, aw mahug sila og colorum.” Elnar said.

A colorum bus or a bus operating without a franchise may be fined up to P1 million or the unit will be impounded.

Each MyBus unit costs around P8 million each.

The LTFRB Board has approved the proposed bus fare last Monday.

To recall, the Metro Rapid Transit System Inc. strongly believed that their application for the issuance of franchise for their 77 buses will be approved by the Department of Transportation and Communications despite opposition from various transport groups in Cebu.

MRTSI is a joint venture of SM Holdings Inc. and Jam Transport. It operates MyBus.

Those who opposed are CITRASCO, Visayan United Transport Service Multi-Purpose Cooperative, Cebu Provincial Bus Operators Association, Cebu South Mini Bus Operators Association, and National Confederation of Transport Union-Visayas.

They want LTFRB to deny the applicant’s application for franchise issuance for want of any palpable merit.

They are opposing the application not only due to alleged infirmities but also because of the adverse effects it will bring to the transport industry as a whole. — (FREEMAN)