The government may give in to jeepney drivers and public transport groups’ request to add one peso to base fares during rush hours after local oil companies raised pump prices of diesel fuel by P3.50 – the largest price hike this year – on Tuesday.
The Marcos administration may also opt to expand its financial assistance to public utility vehicle (PUV) drivers and operators, Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board chief Teofilo Guadiz said after meeting with transport group leaders yesterday.
“In the event that our fuel subsidy is not sufficient, we may resort to granting their request, but not as high as one peso,” Guadiz said in a press briefing. “This will be subject to a study which we are doing right now, with results out in about two weeks.”
Obet Martin, president of the group Pasang Masda, said jeepney drivers and operators were losing P150 in take-home earnings per day with the P3.50 increase in diesel, which put its price near the P60-per-liter level anew.
“Using our computations, that P150 means our drivers would have money for bread and coffee for breakfast, plus some for rice and eggs to take home to their families. That’s what they lost with this price increase,” Martin said in an ABS-CBN interview.
As for the “rush hour rate,” Primo Morillo, convenor of The Passenger Forum, said the changing fares may only lead to confusion for the public and may cause unnecessary friction with jeepney and PUV drivers.
“This can be a source of conflict for drivers and passengers because they would debate on what time a passenger boarded and thus would have to pay the higher fare rate,” he added.
The request also comes amid the increase in fares for the Light Rail
Transit lines 1 and 2, which becomes effective today.