Taxi group tells LTFRB: Review cab fares every 2 years
An association of taxi operators is asking for an automatic review of the standard taxi fare for every two years, as it demanded for a level playing field for the taxi industry and ride-hailing services.
Philippine National Taxi Operators Association president and Quezon City Councilor Bong Suntay said the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) should consider reviewing the standard fare for taxis every two years even when there is no request from any taxi companies.
“Maybe we could suggest that there be an automatic review of taxi fares for every two years, whether there’s a petition filed or not,” Suntay told the Senate committee on public services in a hearing on Thursday.
The committee, chaired by Senator Grace Poe, is holding an inquiry of the franchise rules of ride-hailing firms Grab, Uber and u-Hop.
“The Uber and Grab, they’re asking for faster processing. We also want faster processing,” he said.
The current flag-down rate for taxi fare is at P40.
Earlier, Suntay lamented that taxi drivers have difficulty earning enough to pay for their boundary if they would rely only on the taxi meter.
“If a taxi driver gets stuck in traffic for an hour, the meter would only earn him P75 because our waiting time is P3.50 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 to convey passengers),” he said.
READ: Taxi drivers’ agitated behavior blamed on low income
Suntay stressed that the taxi industry have always been consistent in saying that they have nothing against transport network vehicle services (TNVS).
“We’ve always believed that the market is big enough for us to coexist, but coexistence must be under a level playing field where fair competition can exist,” Suntay said.
“We can’t regulate one hand and deregulate the other. We can’t have laws for one sector and not have laws for the other. If we look at the service provided, it’s the same for both, we both ferry passengers for a fee.”
“The only difference is that existing regulations have defined that we taxis should operate. We’re required to use a taxi meter and our fares are regulated and because we abide by these rules, our ability to buy vehicles are limited. TNVS are not required to have a meter. They have an algorithm. They use dynamic pricing. Their fares may vary while we are limited to what the meter indicates,” he further explained. JPV
