Bus fares cut in Northern Mindanao

Transport authorities have reduced bus fares in Northern Mindanao to help residents recover from the damage caused by Tropical Storm “Sendong” (International name: WASHI), which hit the region in December last year.

The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) released an order to cut the fares as it acted on a petition filed by a bus company, Rural Transit (Mindanao) Inc., which applied for voluntary reduction for the key Cagayan de Oro-Iligan corridor and other outlying routes.

Signed unanimously by LTFRB Chair Jaime Jacob and members Manuel Iway and Samuel Garcia, the order said the petition “was grounded mainly on humanitarian and charitable consideration.”

“The horrendous death toll and unfathomable destruction of property bespeaks the gravity of victims’ affliction to date,” it added.

Fares for air-conditioned buses plying the CDO-Iligan route will be cut to P85, down by 45 percent from the current P145. Fares for ordinary buses will also be lowered by 41 percent to P70 per passenger from the current P120.

The LTFRB said that while it was conscious of the rights of public transport operators to make profit from the services they provide, the interest of commuters would be the bigger priority.

The reduction in fares was opposed by Super 5, a bus firm owned by a certain Paul Padayhag.

But the board said it could not refuse any voluntary assistance to help ease the impact of the disaster.