Taxi drivers, operators warned against overcharging

DAVAO CITY — The Land Transportation and Franchising Regulatory Board in Region 11 (LTFRB-11), in coordination with the city government here, conducted a forum to warn taxi operators and drivers against overcharging and contracting passengers ("pakyaw") following reports filed by concerned citizens.

In a statement on Monday, Nonito Llanos III, the regional director of LTFRB-11, said that it was unfortunate that despite having numerous responsible and honest taxi drivers in the city, there are still those who take advantage of the riding public, creating a notion that all taxi drivers in the city are violators of the law

"I know that our operators want our drivers to abide by the laws. We don't want our drivers to violate laws since it will also affect us," he said.

During the said forum, the operators were reminded of the violations under the Franchise Conditions and its penalties, highlighting overcharging and contracting of passengers, which are the recurring complaints received by concerned agencies.

City Transport and Traffic Management (CTTMO) head Dionisio Abude emphasized the need to put an end to such violations to protect, not only the image of the operators and drivers but also to preserve the image of the city.

Llanos and Abude asked for the cooperation of the taxi operators in reminding their drivers to provide service that is safe, reliable, comfortable, accessible, and affordable, not only to Dabawenyos but also to the city's guests.

"We also need the help and cooperation of our operators," Abude added.

Through the forum, the operators were also able to raise their concerns and suggestions, as well as their manifestations to the concerned agencies.

It also became an avenue to consolidate their thoughts on the current transport situation in the city.

The inputs of the operators, according to Llanos, will be used to come up with a system in Davao City that will benefit the riding public, drivers, and operators.