LTFRB set to hear plea for bus fare cuts

The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) has set a hearing on Aug. 23 for a petition seeking lower fares for the provincial buses affected by the operation of the Southwest Integrated Transport Terminal (SITT) in Parañaque City.

Last week, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chair Francis Tolentino and four other Cavite residents went to the LTFRB to ask for an eight-percent reduction in the fare rates for buses coming to Manila from Cavite and Batangas provinces.

The opening of the SITT on Aug. 6 effectively reduced the distance traveled by these buses, allowing their operators to save on operational expenses, particularly from the different terminals they were renting within Metro Manila, the board noted in a statement Wednesday.

It was apparently citing the justification given by the petitioners in asking for the fare cuts.

“We are reviewing the bus fares in the Cavite-Batangas-Coastal route in line with the government’s implementation of the first phase of the integrated terminal system road management project,” according to LTFRB Chair Winston Ginez.

“In order to be transparent and fair to all our stakeholders, we want to hear the side of everyone for the board to effectively arrive at the right decision on the matter for the benefit of everyone,” Ginez added.

Aside from the MMDA chair, the four Cavite residents who filed the the petition were Ligaya Cagurangan, Rosita dela Cruz, Anelita Abary and Lilibeth Pilola.