LTFRB suspends taxi over viral tourist overcharge
According to the vlogger, he was being charged P2,000 for a five-minute ride from the airport to his chosen destination.
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According to the vlogger, he was being charged P2,000 for a five-minute ride from the airport to his chosen destination.
The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) has suspended for 30 days a passenger taxi accused of charging a foreign tourist P2,000 for a five-minute trip from Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).
“This is a gross violation of the franchise rules and regulations. No passenger, much more a foreign tourist whom we should welcome to the country, deserves this kind of treatment,” LTFRB chairman Vigor Mendoza said.
“But we will give the operator the chance to explain as part of due process. In the meantime, however, the operation of that taxi is temporarily suspended,” he added.
In a show-cause order issued following the incident, the LTFRB directed the operator to surrender the taxi’s license plate and required the driver involved to undergo a compulsory drug test.
The agency also ordered the operator to explain why no sanctions should be imposed for allegedly overcharging the passenger and failing to provide convenient public land transportation service.
The hearing is set for Wednesday, 19 August, when the taxi operator is expected to submit a notarized explanation of the incident.
In a viral video, the tourist, a vlogger, was seen dropping a handful of bills and coins into the hand of a man beside the driver after complaining that he was being scammed.
According to the vlogger, he was being charged P2,000 for a five-minute ride from the airport to his chosen destination.
He was then seen in his video asking several people if the trip should have really cost P2,000. He also took a video of the taxi unit as it departed, helping authorities identify it.
