Cabbie may lose license for scamming 'vlogger' at NAIA

MANILA, Philippines — The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board is reviewing the driver's license of a cabbie caught on video trying to overcharge Fil-American vlogger Hayley Dasovich.

 

The LTFRB said taxi driver Frederick Cayanan may lose his license due to the incident.

 

"His franchise,granted November 25, 2016, expiration date November 21, 2017. We will check if he has filed an extension of validity," LTFRB board member Aileen Lizada said in Filipino in an interview with GMA News' "24 Oras".

 

The LTFRB made the review after Dasovich posted the overcharging incident in a vlog.

 

In her vlog, Dasovich shared how disappointed she was after hailing a regular taxi at the airport. 

 

She noticed Cayanan did not start the meter when they started the trip. The vlogger then asked the cabbie to start the meter but he refused and even asked to be paid a fixed rate of P500.

 

Dasovich insisted on asking him to turn the meter on and said she would just give Cayanan a tip.

 

The cabbie agreed but lectured Dasovich about he should be paid for his two hours of waiting at the airport taxi bay. 

 

"Next time, ate, don't take taxi there," Cayanan said, adding that he was expecting "good" passengers willing to pay the fixed rate. Metered taxis are officially prohibited from charging fixed fares but it is a common practice in busy areas and during the holiday season.

 

Taxi operators use a "boundary" system instead of paying drivers daily wages.  Under the system, taxi drivers need to earn enough to pay for the "boundary" — or the cost of renting the taxi unit from the operator — and the taxi's fuel before they can start earning from fares.

 

Because of time lost to traffic, taxi drivers sometimes resort to charging fixed fares to earn enough to pay off the "boundary".

On Friday, the LTFRB nabbed Cayanan after a brief chase at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport's Terminal 1 complex.

 

Lizada earlier said Cayanan's cab with plate number ALA 3281 has a franchise to operate. However, she said the taxi operator could be held accountable for operating as "colorum", or as an unlicensed cab, because Cayanan refused to use the meter.

 

The LTFRB also reportedly caught Cayanan using his own fare matrix, not the one authorized by the board. The fixed rates confiscated indicated the the cabbie charges passengers headed to Pasay City P500. A trip from the airport to Marikina costs P2,200. 

 

Cayanan also accepts trips to Pangasinan for P6,300.

 

After getting caught, Cayanan apologized to Dasovich saying he would never commit the same offense again.

 

Dasovich shared in her vlog that she would never recommend taking taxi rides in the Philippines. She recommended using ride-hailing services instead, and said in her vlog that Cayanan's behavior was the reason the app-based services pose a threat to metered taxis. — Rosette Adel