LTRFB meets with TNVS reps in first fare hike petition consultation

The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) on Tuesday met with representatives of transport network vehicle service (TNVS) providers in its first consultation on pending fare hike petitions.

In a statement, LTFRB chair Vigor Mendoza II said the agency decided to hold separate public consultations to have healthy and organized discussions on the requests for fare increases.

During the meeting, TNVS representatives raised several concerns and requests that they want the LTFRB to look into, such as commissions and long duty hours for TNVS drivers.

Mendoza said the concerns will be consolidated and will be brought up in a dialogue with other government agencies like the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG).

“We want to hear all sides in the spirit of fairness because the discussion on fare increase is a sensitive issue that does not only involve the commuters but our economy as well,” he said.

“That’s why we held a consultation for them and we asked them to submit some documents that are needed when we in the LTFRB start the deliberation for the fare increase petition on the TNVS,” Mendoza added.

He noted that the TNVS sector’s compliance with the request for documents is crucial in determining if the fare increase is justifiable or not.

“So, we really hope that they will comply because if they do not. That makes it complicated for us because we will be relying solely on our own data,” Mendoza said.

Earlier, the LTFRB said it will hold weekly hearings and public consultations to tackle requests to increase the fare for public utility vehicles (PUVs) amid the recent spikes in fuel prices.

The last approved fare hike – a P1 provisional increase for public utility jeepneys (PUJs) – 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 LTFRB’s next public consultation will be with bus, taxi and jeepney stakeholders.

Mendoza said the LTFRB fully understood the transport sector’s concerns, hence its desire to expedite the consultations in order to come up with a decision at the soonest possible time.

“Our goal is to come up with a decision that is acceptable to everybody. If there would be fare increase, we assure that there will be a balance between the commuters’ capacity to pay and the need to attend to the concerns of those in the public transport sector,” he added. — JMA, GMA Integrated News