There is a possibility that passengers returning to Metro Manila after the All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day break may be paying higher bus fares compared to their prior trip.
Barring any court-issued temporary restraining order, the additional P0.15 per kilometer for all provincial buses, as approved by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB), will take effect on November 3 — a day after All Souls’ Day.
This means that commuters booking a trip on or before November 2 may pay entirely different fares just a day after.
During an inspection of bus terminals on Monday, LTFRB Chair Martin Delgra III said the agency has already instructed bus companies to post copies of the new fare matrix inside buses even before the date of implementation.
“Bus operators will have to secure the fare matrix from the LTFRB para mailagay doon (so they can post it in their buses),” he said in a briefing at a bus terminal in Cubao.
According to Delgra, the fare matrix should be available for the people to see, to avoid shock over the new rates.
“(The fare matrix should be) prominently displayed sa mga bus, not only for the bus conductors and drivers, more importantly, para po sa mga pasahero, malalaman na nila ‘yong mga bagong pamasahe for the buses,” he added.
(The fare matrix should be prominently displayed in buses, not only for bus conductors and drivers but more importantly, for passengers so they are aware of the new rates.)
City buses were also given the green light to increase their base fare by P1, turning the minimum fare from P10 to P11 for ordinary buses, and from P12 to P13 for air-conditioned buses.
The LTFRB granted the request of transport groups to increase the jeepney fare, albeit at P10 — P2 shy of their original request.
Despite fears from commuters, Delgra previously assured the public that the fare adjustments would have little effect on the inflation rate, which peaked at 6.7 percent in September. /ee
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