Palace: LTFRB's priority is fare hike for buses

Amid discussions on fare hikes for public utility vehicles (PUVs), the priority of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) is the increase of bus fare rates.

This was according to Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Atty. Claire Castro, who said Friday that hearings are ongoing to determine if fare hike petitions will be approved. 

"Ayon naman din po sa LTFRB, ang patungkol po sa hinihiling ng mga jeepney operators and drivers mukhang hindi pa po napapanahon, premature dahil po mayroon pong provisional fare increase sa halagang one peso. At ayon sa kanilang computation itong provisional grant na ito na fare hike na one peso ay naco-cover pa po ang fuel cost para sa jeepneys," Castro said.

(According to the LTFRB, the request of the jeepney operators and drivers regarding fare hike is not timely; it's premature since there's a provisional fare increase of P1. Based on their computation, this provisional grant still covers the fuel cost of jeepneys.) 

"At ayon din po sa sinabi ni Chair Mendoza, ang hiling naman din po ng mga jeepney operators at mga jeepney drivers ay hindi particular sa fare hike kung hindi para labanan iyong kolorum at katulad ng ating ini-report kahapon, nilalabanan po especially ang proyekto po ng LTO ni Asec. Lacanilao nakakahuli po sila ng mga kolorum. Pero ang priority po ngayon ng LTFRB kung magkakaroon po ng fare hike ay ang mga buses dahil wala po silang temporary fare hike. So, iyon po, ang priority po nila ay ang pag-uusap tungkol sa pag-increase ng pamasahe sa mga bus," she added. 

(According to Chair Mendoza, the request was not just about fare hike but fighting colorum and the LTO is already eradicating that as they caught colorum vehicles. The priority of the LTFRB is the fare hike for buses since they do not have temporary fare hikes. So, that's the priority of their discussions about increasing the fare of buses.) 

According to the LTFRB, the recent series of increases in the prices of fuel products and maintenance costs prompted transport groups to file several fare hike petitions.

LTFRB Chairman Vigor Mendoza II said that while the agency has been looking for ways to prevent an increase in PUV fares as this will have an effect on inflation, the series of oil price hikes in the past weeks "opened the door anew for the discussion on the petitions."

To recall, the last approved fare hike–a P1-provisional increase–was in October 2023. 

Since then, transport groups have been lobbying for fare increases not just for jeepneys, but for buses and taxis as well.

The agency said it would invite as many experts as possible to provide more insights on the fare hike petition, particularly on its effects on the economy. — VDV, GMA Integrated News