The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) has expressed solidarity with the public transport group PISTON today, as the government’s fare adjustments for Public Utility Vehicles (PUVs) will take effect on Thursday, 19 March.
Atty. Vigor D. Mendoza II, LTFRB chairman, cited that the board is always in touch with the leadership of PISTON (Pagkakaisa ng Samahan ng Tsuper at Operator Nationwide), but also noted that the group should understand the government’s effort to implement adjustments without significantly affecting the entire Filipino drivers.
“Our hearts are with them [PISTON]. If they only understand things at the last minute, after the board [LTFRB] has already spent so much time discussing, how can we still adjust the fare in a way that would help transport operators and drivers even more?”, Atty. Vigor said in Filipino during the LTFRB press conference on Tuesday.
The LTFRB chief reminded PISTON that losing passengers would be even harder. He added that the President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is looking into excise taxes and toll fees for other types of public transportation.
Atty. Mendoza II also added that the implemented fare adjustment on public utility vehicles is the most generous increase the PH government has implemented in the past two decades.
“We are with everyone in this effort. The longer it takes, the harder it will be to sustain, but this fare hike is not excessive. If you look at the history of jeepney fares over the last twenty years, this is one of the most liberal increases ever made by the government,” he said in both Filipino and English.
Regarding the fare adjustments on Public Utility Vehicles (PUVs), the LTFRB approved a P1 increase for the first 4 kilometers, or the minimum fare, for traditional jeepneys. The fare will rise from the current P13 to P14, while modern jeepneys will increase from P15 to P17.
However, for airport taxis, a P40 increase in the flag-down rate, or first 500 meters was approved by the LTFRB, making the flag-down rate P115 from the current P75.
The regulating board also approved a P2 hike in the minimum fare for Metro Manila and city ordinary buses, bringing the rate for the first five kilometers to P15 from P13. Fares for each additional kilometer will rise from P2.25 to P2.49.
Meanwhile, the aircon buses for Metro Manila and city operations will have a P3 increase, or from P15 to P18 for the first five kilometer and 33 centavos increase for every succeeding kilometer, or from P2.65 per kilometer to P2.98.
These fare adjustments on public vehicles, according to the LTFRB, are proof of the national government’s genuine concern for the welfare of the transport sector while also protecting the interests of the general commuting public.
At the same time, the LTFRB consulted the Department of Economy, Planning, and Development (DEPDev) and said the fare hike was thoroughly deliberated and supported by data and analysis of the said government agency.
The regulating board emphasized that geopolitical tensions, like the war in Ukraine and the recent Middle East conflict, along with nationwide wage increases since 2022, has prompted the board to approve a reasonable fare increase.