City bus group seeks fare hike

MANILA, Philippines — A group of bus companies running routes to and from Metro Manila has filed a petition to raise the minimum fare for city buses amid rising diesel prices, an official said yesterday.

The Mega Manila Consortium said it has asked the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) for a provisional P7 increase in fare for the first five kilometers for air-conditioned public utility buses (PUBs) and a provisional P15 minimum fare for ordinary PUBs, which currently stands at P11.

Julie de Jesus, internal affairs officer of the consortium, said the provisional increase is intended to help operators continue paying the salaries of their drivers and conductors amid skyrocketing fuel prices.

“(For EDSA Carousel alone), our trips are just the same but the earnings are short because of how expensive diesel is. This is going to kill our operations if the increase continues,” De Jesus said in an interview aired over dzBB.

“That’s why we have filed a petition for fare increase that we hope (the LTFRB) will act upon immediately because the increase we are asking is provisional only,” she added, saying without a fare hike, fewer PUB units would be able to ferry thousands of commuters.

Currently, De Jesus said out of the 550 authorized PUB units plying the EDSA Carousel route, only 80 percent or less are operating due to high fuel prices.

De Jesus said members of the consortium are somehow able to survive higher diesel prices because of the government’s service contracting program or SCP, which allows public transport operators and drivers to provide free rides to commuters and get government compensation on a weekly basis.

Under the program, the government covers fuel expenses, disinfection, monthly amortizations and other overhead expenses.

However, contracts for the SCP – now on its third phase – are set to expire by the end of the month, De Jesus said.

“If the free rides program expires, I think it’s going to be difficult for us… If maybe there’s still a budget under the general appropriations act that can be used for us, maybe the program would be extended until next month, but still, we’re not sure about that. It all depends on the LTFRB,” she said.

The SCP was launched in April and started out with 510 PUVs plying the EDSA Busway Carousel and other select routes in Metro Manila. The third phase of the SCP is being funded with P7 billion under the General Appropriations Act of 2022.