Transport group seeks P10 jeepney fare hike

MANILA, Philippines — Amid continued high diesel prices, transport group Piston filed a petition yesterday before the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) to raise base jeepney fares by at least P10.

If approved, the minimum fare for traditional jeepneys would increase to P23 from the current P13.

Oil companies have announced pump price reductions this week, ranging from P24 to P26 per liter for diesel and P2.50 to P3.50 per liter for gasoline.

However, Piston national president Mody Floranda said these are not enough to offset the operating costs of public utility jeepneys.

“Yes, there are rollbacks. But diesel prices are still more than P100,” Floranda stressed. “If we consume 30 liters per day, at least P3,000 is lost in the drivers’ income.”

He said jeepney drivers have been taking home only P200 to P300 daily since pump prices climbed, despite plying routes for 12 to 18 hours.

“The objective of this is to ease the large income losses of the drivers,” Floranda said, adding that they are also calling for an increase in workers’ minimum wage.

For the PARA Commuters’ Network, the fare hike would increase the transport supply in the country, as it noted that many public utility vehicle (PUV) drivers have stopped operating due to high fuel prices.

“We know that our drivers should not be blamed because it is their right to have livable wages. It is also their right to provide for their families,” Reign Desaca, community affairs officer of PARA, told The STAR.

Desaca emphasized that if President Marcos wants to address the concerns of the transportation sector, he should consider suspending oil-related taxes and raising the minimum wage.

Transport strike

Piston announced on Sunday that they will mount another strike today (Tuesday), recalling their demands to the government to remove fuel taxes, repeal the oil deregulation law and roll back pump prices to P55 per liter.

Floranda said this new round of nationwide demonstration is part of the protest action series to urge the government to implement immediate relief measures and long-term structural reforms.

The transport group also lamented the death of a motorcycle rider in a queue for cash assistance in Quezon City, stressing that many transport workers have yet to receive aid from the government.

“Literally, a life is the price paid for the inadequate aid of a corrupt government,” Piston said in a social media post.

The group participated in yesterday’s “Monday Rage” of the No to Oil Price Hike Coalition at Quezon Memorial Circle, where members lit up candles in honor of the rider and called for a more humane, efficient and accessible public service and aid distribution system.

“The tragic incident reflects the daily struggles of many Filipinos who are forced to spend long hours in line, lose work opportunities and endure unsafe conditions just to access much-needed assistance,” said the coalition.