LEGAZPI CITY – Despite rising fuel costs and government-mandated fare increases, jeepney drivers plying the 19-kilometer route from Sorsogon City to Gubat town are maintaining the same rates they’ve been charging since 2000 because of cutthroat competition.

Members of the Gubat-Sorsogon Jeepney Operators and Drivers Association (Gusojoda) charge a P10 regular fare and P8 student fare although the Land Transportation and Franchising Regulatory Board (LTFRB) has ordered a P22.50 regular fare and P18.50 student fare for the distance.

Gusojoda, which counts 90 public utility jeepneys (PUJs) among its member units, and RJ Line, which has 12 PUJs, have been at odds over the fare issue since 2001.

Eduardo Ferreras, president of Gusojoda, explained that competitors had forced them to cut fares to more than half of the mandated rates.

Both sides blame one another for starting the low fares and could not agree on a single dispatching terminal for their units.

During a consultation meeting on May 4, RJ Line agreed to raise the rates based on the LTFRB fare matrix but was against Gusojoda’s suggestion that a single dispatching system must be established first.

“We will maintain the fare rate of P10 for as long as the issue is not resolved. Anyway, it’s the poor people who will benefit from it,” said Long Jao, a representative of RJ Line.

Jonnie Jetomo, a member of Gusojoda’s board of directors, lamented that the disagreement had left drivers deep in debt. They cannot even afford to maintain their vehicles because of the continuing decline in income, he said.