‘Power back to riding public’: Poe hails Uber’s payment of fine

Sen. Grace Poe INQUIRER PHOTO / LYN RILLON

Senator Grace Poe heaved a sigh of relief now that riding public would have other modes of transportation to take after Uber paid a hefty amount of P190 million in fine to the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) in order to lift the one-month suspension.

“I am happy that the riding public would somehow be able to regain its power in deciding what mode of public transportation to take after Uber paid the lofty and mind-boggling fine that the LTFRB imposed against the company,” Poe said in a statement on Tuesday.

On Tuesday afternoon, lawyers representing Uber paid the P190-million fine imposed by the LTFRB. Uber committed to pay a fine so the LTFRB would lift the one-month suspension it imposed on the ride-hailing firm.

READ: Uber pays LTFRB P190-M fine

But Uber has yet to show proof to the LTFRB that it has paid its drivers affected by the suspension for the 15 days. The financial aid would reach close to P300 million.

Poe, who chairs the Senate committee on public services, said it seems that the LTFRB “flexes its discretion as a whimsical regulator just for the sake of imposing regulations.”

“For the sake of the commuters, I am committed to complete as soon as possible the report on the TNVS (transport network vehicle services) bill that is currently undergoing TWG (technical working group) meetings. The TWG meetings aim to thresh out and address all related issues concerning the operation of Uber, Grab and the like,” she said.

“This way, we may avoid the recurrence of a similar suspension affecting the TNVS community, which is rooted on the apparent inability of the LTFRB to adjust and adapt to new technology,” Poe added. IDL