MANILA — Passengers of public utility vehicles will soon pay higher fares after the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) approved fare adjustments for jeepneys, buses, airport taxis, and transport network vehicle services.
The new rates will take effect on Thursday.
LTFRB Chair Vigor Mendoza II explained that the increase was driven by the spike in global oil prices caused by the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
He said diesel prices had already risen to approximately P75 to P80 per liter in the previous week.
Mendoza said the board carefully reviewed the fare increase proposal before arriving at a final decision.
“This was not an easy call. The proposal went through multiple reviews and was presented to acting Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez. We had to recalculate our figures several times because adjustments were made,” he said.
The LTFRB chief added that fluctuating fuel costs made it difficult to determine the proper fare adjustment.
Despite the approval, transport groups criticized the decision, saying the increase would not significantly ease the burden on drivers and operators.
Mar Valbuena, head of Manibela, said the additional P1 fare was far from sufficient.
“Diesel prices have doubled, yet the approved fare increase is only P1,” Valbuena said in Filipino.
Meanwhile, Piston president Modesto Floranda said the adjustment would result in only a small increase in drivers’ earnings.
Floranda urged the government to remove fuel taxes, reduce diesel prices to P55 per liter, and approve a P5 fare hike instead.
elamigo/xf
