Taxi drivers’ agitated behavior blamed on low income

Some taxi drivers could at times be picky and rude because they are not earning as much to pay for their daily boundary, Philippine National Taxi Operators Association president Bong Suntay explained on Wednesday.

“As with any normal person, income has a direct connection to individual behavior and action,” Suntay said during the Senate committee on public services hearing on Grab and Uber services.

“Kapag walang pera, mas bugnutin ka, mas mabilis ka mainis. Kapag maliit ang kita mo, naghahanap ka ng paraan to augment it,” he explained.

(If you do not have money, you become agitated. If you’re not earning enough, you find ways to augment it.)

But Suntay was quick to clarify that he was not justifying the actions of abusive taxi drivers. He said he was just explaining “the reality that exists.”

He said some taxi drivers, aside from the fare reflected on taxi meter, ask for an additional payment, because they incur losses in travelling to areas where there traffic is heavy.

“May taxi driver na magsasabi, ‘Pwede ba padagdag ng P50 sa metro?’” Dahil alam niyo ho, pagka ang pasahero magpapahatid sa lugar na matraffic, malulugi ‘yung driver,” Suntay said.

(Some taxi drivers would ask for additional P50. Because these drivers incur losses when they have passengers from areas where traffic is heavy.)

“If a taxi driver gets stuck in traffic for an hour, the meter would only earn him P75 because our waiting time is P3.5 for every two minutes. A driver who pays a boundary of P1,200 (in a day) would need P60 an hour just to make for the boundary. This is the reason why taxi drivers ay tumatanggi na maghatid (decline passengers),” he said.

Again, Suntay told the panel: “I’m not justifying it. I’m just saying the real reason why it’s done.”

He said this practice of taxi drivers is no different from Grab and Uber’s surge pricing.

“(Grab and Uber) are trying to incentivize drivers para kapag traffic (so that whenever there is heavy traffic), may high demand, pupunta ang auto sa pasahero (their cars will still go to their passengers) because if they don’t do it, hindi susunduin ng mga sasakyan nila ‘yung mga pasahero (their drivers will not service their passengers),” Suntay explained. IDL

RELATED STORIES

Celebrities defend Grab, Uber rides; call out opportunistic, rude taxi drivers

LTFRB to apply ‘full force of law’ vs taxi drivers who ignore fare rollback