Poe questions LTFRB for late issuance of fine vs Uber

Sen. Grace Poe INQUIRER PHOTO / LYN RILLON

Imposing fine was a good move, but why issue it on a Friday afternoon before a long weekend?

This was the question raised by Sen. Grace Poe on Saturday after the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) imposed a P190-million fine against the transportation network company (TNC) Uber.

READ: Uber back on the road once it pays P190-M fine

“I welcome the decision of the LTFRB to penalize Uber with a fine instead of having it serve the remainder of its 30-day suspension,” Poe said in a statement.

The senator said the hefty fine “should be enough to make Uber rethink its actions and reevaluate its strategy in testing the extent of government regulations.”

However, Poe expressed disappointment that the LTFRB decision came out late Friday afternoon ahead of a long weekend, “effectively taking out any opportunity for Uber to pay the penalties.”

“It is frustrating to think that we have a long weekend ahead of us and people will have to suffer the inconvenience of having limited transportation choices in going around the Metro with their families,” the senator said.

“How will Uber be able to immediately comply with the LTFRB decision given that banks are closed during the weekend?” she added.

On Aug. 14, the LTFRB ordered Uber suspended for 30 days after it defied its directive not to accept new drivers and vehicles into its platform as the agency ironed out issues on the ride-sharing industry.

READ: LTFRB suspends Uber for 1 month

The TNC appealed the decision, proposing instead that it pay LTFRB a P10-million fine.

The LTFRB, however, set the fine at P190 million as Uber earns around P7 million to P10 million.

Uber, meanwhile, said it is working hard to comply with the conditions for the lifting of the situation to resume its operations.

“We’re working hard to meet the conditions for the lifting of the suspension and hope to resume operations as soon as possible.” JPV