Cabbie turned barker probed for overcharging

A TAXI driver and his cohort have been accused of forcibly taking the cell phone of a passenger and charging P1,980 for a trip from the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) in Pasay City to Makati City based on a complaint filed in the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB).

The agency has summoned the driver and operator of the MAHK Transportation Services taxi cab (UVM-119) as it vowed to help the victim file criminal complaints of robbery, threat and falsification against the driver and his still unidentified cohort, according to LTFRB board member Ariel Inton.

According to the initial information, the regular taxi driver identified as Jeric Rosalejos allowed another person to drive his cab from the Naia Terminal 3 to Makati City while he served as a barker on Jan. 5.

The complainant, Mark Kevin Tomale, 19, said he fetched his cousin’s pregnant wife from the airport and flagged down Rosalejos’ taxi at 6:40 p.m. He added that he agreed to pay a rate of P30 per kilometer as the taxi driver said the meter indicated only the distance traveled and not the fare.

The driver also wanted the barker (Rosalejos who is the cab’s authorized driver) to come with them because it was supposedly their last trip but Tomale objected.

When the cab had traveled 6.6 km, the driver asked Tomale if they would be able to pay since, based on his calculation, their fare was already at P1,980 at P300 per kilometer. Tomale, however, argued that they had agreed on a P30 rate. When the driver became angry, Tomale said he gave in since he was thinking of his pregnant companion who had become frightened.

Because they could pay just P1,400, Tomale said the cab driver also took his companion’s cell phone before allowing them to get off. Tomale, however, took note of the license plate and filed a complaint in the LTFRB, which led to the identification of the operator and driver.

Inton said the LTFRB had received a similar complaint involving the same taxi which happened also on Jan. 5.

A check with the Land Transportation Office likewise showed that Rosalejos’ driving license was fake, Inton added.