By Bohol Chronicle
A one-peso fare increase for all Public Utility Jeepneys (PUJ) in Visayas and Mindanao was approved by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) which took effect last Wednesday.
This was disclosed to the Chronicle by LTFRB-7 administrative staff Rey Elnar in an exclusive interview.
The increase brought the minimum fare from P6.50 to P7.50 in the first five kilometers.
An additional of 90 centavos will be charged from passengers in every succeeding kilometer. However, students are only allowed to pay P6 for the first-five kilometers while an additional charge of 72 centavos for each succeeding kilometer will be added.
On the part of the jeepney operators, Elnar earlier said that there is no more need for the operators to pay the usual amount of P520 for the matrix fee because the recent increase was provisional.
It can be recalled that the P8 fair increase was issued last 2008 by the LTFRB in the middle of an international oil price surge. However, the continued roll back of oil prices back then prompted the operators to voluntarily decrease the minimum fare to P6.50, thereafter.
Now that the oil price is again surging, the LTFRB implemented the provisional fair hike, Elnar added.
Elnar further explained that the recent increase was due to a petition from the transport group requesting the LTFRB to approve an amount of P8 minimum increase of fare for PUJ. However, the transport groups' original petition was not granted as the LTFRB lowered it to P7.50 minimum fare increase.
LTFRB regional officers personally came in Tagbilaran City last Friday to conduct the certification to all operators of PUJ in Bohol. The certification was able to register more than 300 jeepneys that are operating in the province.
Elnar added that no jeepney operator can legitimately increase fare if it can't provide and secure the certification from the LTFRB which must be posted inside the jeepney or multicab.
"This recent increase is only applicable to Public Utility Jeepneys. It does not apply to tricycles in the city because it's up to the city legislators to act on that matter", Elnar concluded.
NO HIKE FOR TRICYCLE
Meanwhile, during the regular session of the Sangguniang Panlungsod of Tagbilaran last Friday, Councilor Anne Mariquit Oppus brought up to her colleagues the possibility of implementing the same increase to the tricycle operators in the city, considering that these tricycle operators too, are affected with the recent oil price increase.
However, City Councilor Edgar Bompat, chairman of the committee on public utilities, said that the legislators can only entertain possible increase if there is a petition from the tricycle groups. None has been filed momentarily.
In an interview with the Chronicle yesterday, Oppus said that the minimum fare for tricycle operators will remain as it is. (Anthony Rañoa Aniscal)
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