Maasin City approves P1 hike in minimum fare on motorcab rides to P8

By BONG PEDALINO, PIA Southern Leyte
February 25, 2011

MAASIN CITY, Southern Leyte  –  It’s official.

The minimum transport fare in this locality has been increased effective this week by one peso, from P7 to P8, following a series of mandatory processes and a short-lived lighting strike staged by impatient drivers last week.

City Treasurer Eleseo Costillas told Philippine Information Agency (PIA) today that the new rate became effective Monday, February 21, but the tariff for the increased fare was given to drivers and operators two days later.

He said the new set of fares still contained a provision requiring a 20% discount on student passengers and Senior Citizens based on an existing national law.

“Rounders”, or those whose coverage are within city limits from Combado up to barangay Mambajao, will collect P8 as the new minimum fare, while beyond that, or upon entering barangay Asuncion, the rate will be P9.50.

Routes outside the city proper will have a corresponding increase of P1, say, from city proper to an outskirt barangay which used to collect P15, the new fare will be P16, Costillas said.

The new rates came as the response by the city local government unit (LGU) to a petition earlier filed by the local drivers’ organization, citing the continued increase of the pump price of gasoline as the reason for their clamor for increased fare.

On Wednesday last week, some drivers reportedly called on their colleagues to stop plying the routes in a show of strike, apparently to let the city government act on their move.

It was learned that a public hearing was scheduled on that day to tackle the issues, even as Mayor Maloney Samaco already assured the drivers that the city had understand their situation and had approved their request.

Now that the new rates have been in effect, Costillas urged commuters to report to the police the cab number of motorcab units who refused to give discounts to students and old citizens, citing a complaint he received from a passenger of barangay Tawid, so the city LGU can call the attention of the particular driver.

There are now over 800 motorcab units operating in the city that were given franchisees for their transportation business, plying in various routes including “rounders”, Costillas said.