House committee approves taxi passenger rights bill

The House of Representatives transportation committee on Wednesday approved a bill establishing the rights of taxi passengers.

According to the “Bill of Rights of Taxi Passengers,” a taxi passenger has a right to be driven by a licensed driver, who should be in the proper uniform and have a company identification card.

A passenger has a right to a courteous driver, who is not under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

He or she also has a right to be picked up and transported to their destination regardless of the length of the journey or traffic condition.

The passenger has a right to direct the route and the right to expect the most economical path, unless such would endanger the lives of the riders.

He or she also has a right to pay the exact rate according to the meter, as well as receive the exact amount of change.

The passenger also has a right to be given a printed official receipt.

The substitute bill penalizes an errant taxi driver with a P1,000 fine and suspension of the driver’s license for seven days for the first offense; P3,000 and suspension of license for six months for second offense; and P5,000 and suspension of license for one year for third offense.

The errant driver will then be required undergo a seminar.

With the committee approval, the bill will be transmitted to the plenary for the period of debates and amendments, before it gets approved on final reading.

The committee approved the proposed measure amid reported complaints from taxi passengers on rude cab drivers.

Among the cab drivers the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board had summoned were Rolando Camara, who cursed at a passenger for refusing to give him an additional P50 fare, and Roger Catipay, who threatened to hurt his passenger for refusing to give him extra.

The authorities were compelled to take action after passengers’ unpleasant experiences in taking taxis had gone viral on social media. RC

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