The Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) of San Carlos City in Negros Occidental held a public hearing Aug. 5 on a proposed ordinance increasing tricycle fare rates in zones 1, 2, and 3.
The proposed measure seeks to amend Ordinance 22-09, series of 2022, and increase tricycle fares by P5 for commuters, including students, senior citizens, and persons with disabilities (PWDs), for trips within the covered zones.
San Carlos Tricycle Operators and Drivers’ Association president Joseph Erly Ybañez said the proposed fare increase aims to help tricycle drivers cope with the rising costs of fuel and basic commodities while enabling them to provide for their families’ daily needs, including their children’s education, and earn a reasonable income to sustain their livelihood.
Councilor Philip Gerard Maisog, chairperson of the SP Committee on Tourism, said the proposed P5 fare increase may still fall short of what drivers need to earn a decent living.
He stressed that the views of the public, private sector, and other stakeholders should be considered since determining an appropriate fare adjustment requires reliable data, careful study, sufficient time, and other important considerations, the city said in a press release.
Maisog shared that the Vamos Cares App, developed by the City Information and Communications Technology Department, aims to integrate the city’s transportation sector and generate data that could help reduce the time and fuel spent by tricycle drivers searching for passengers, resulting in potential savings once the system is fully implemented.
Supervising Transportation Regulation officer Robbie Andutan said that under Land Transportation Office (LTO) Joint Administrative Order (JAO) No. 2014-1, public transport operators and drivers who refuse to carry passengers or fail to provide proper public transportation services may face penalties, including a P5,000 fine for the first offense, P10,000 fine and motorcycle impoundment for the second offense, and a P15,000 fine with possible cancellation of the franchise for the third offense.
Similar penalties may also apply to drivers, who overcharge passengers based on the fare rates that will be approved under the proposed ordinance, Andutan said.
During the hearing, concerns were also raised regarding drivers, who abuse fare rates by charging beyond the approved minimum fare.
Councilor Jonie Uy, chairperson of the SP Committee on Land Transportation and Traffic, advised commuters who encounter such situations to get the franchise number of the concerned tricycle and report it to the appropriate offices.
Uy presided over the hearing together with councilors Joseph Mark Antonio, Gerardo Valmayor III, Jeffrey Hidalgo, Armando Laguda Jr., and Maisog.
Also present were Vice Mayor Christopher Paul Carmona, Councilor Victoriana Cabili, barangay officials, and representatives from the Philippine National Police San Carlos, LTO, City Mayor’s Office-Traffic Management Authority, local media, and the TODA Federation. ||
