Irritated drivers, clueless and irate commuters.
This was the situation in some streets in Caloocan City on Wednesday morning, the first day the 50-centavo increase in jeepney fares was implemented.
On Rizal Avenue, Candy Bernarde, who had taken a jeep from Malinta in Valenzuela City to the LRT Monumento station, scratched her head when asked by the Inquirer if she was aware of the new price adjustment approved by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board on Tuesday.
“Really? That’s why the jeepney driver gave me back only P1.50 as change,” Bernarde, a stall vendor, said, laughing.
This was the same reaction the Philippine Daily Inquirer got from a man walking on the same street. “Frankly, I didn’t know about it,” said Aljohn Malayo, a student.
Malayo said that he boarded a jeepney from Fairview to SM North in Quezon City, and another from there to Rizal Avenue. All throughout his trip, he said that he never asked why he got back only P1.50 as change for each P10 coin he gave as payment.
“I just assumed the jeepney drivers committed a mistake,” he said.
Some jeepney drivers had their own share of gripes.
Hard put for 50¢ coins
Fredie Mabangad, who plies the Malanday-Rizal Avenue route, told the Inquirer that a couple of times he would get irritated and make each passenger pay only P8 to avoid giving him or her 50 centavo coins as change.
“It’s difficult to come across those coins. In the end, I just make (the passengers) pay less. At least, if it’s P8 (they pay) their change is P2. If it’s P8.50, and they give me P10, I have to give them P1.50. Where do I get the 50 centavos?” he asked.
Nestor Gimoro, who plies the Bayan-Monumento route, agreed when asked by the Inquirer on Sangandaan Street.
He said that early in the day, he had to accept P8 each from two to three passengers because they started shouting at him when he told them about the fare hike.
“They thought I was trying to put one over them. I still didn’t have a fare matrix so I just let them be,” he said.