PUV fare hikes in Metro Manila set Tuesday
The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) has approved fare increases for passenger jeepneys and buses in Metro Manila to provide a lifeline to drivers reeling from the ever-rising price of diesel, which is expected to breach the P100 per liter mark this week.
In an interview with dzRH on Sunday, LTFRB Chair Vigor Mendoza II said they will announce the fare rate adjustments on Tuesday, the same day oil companies are expected to impose another round of double-digit price hikes for the second consecutive week.
Mendoza said the fare increases will “definitely be higher” than what they initially recommended to the Department of Transportation before the start of the Iran War on Feb. 28.
“Because even without the fuel crisis, our recommendation is to approve the petitions for fare hikes,” he said.
“But we cannot impose fares that are too high since it would be too hard on passengers. We also coordinated with other government agencies on the impact on inflation. We do not want prices of goods to rise too much because of our decision,” he added.
‘Long-lasting solution’
Mendoza explained that they would meet with Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez and after “all of his queries have been sufficiently answered, we will immediately enforce the fare hikes. We won’t delay this any longer.”
“We do not know how long the conflict in the Middle East will last. And we know that the P5,000 [fuel] subsidy [for public transport drivers] will not be enough, especially that another price increase on fuel products is expected this coming Tuesday,” he said.
“So we need a more long-lasting solution as far as public transport is concerned. And this fare adjustment is what we have seen to help our struggling public utility vehicle drivers and operators,” Mendoza said.
Earlier hikes
The LTFRB approved on March 13 provisional increases in provincial bus fares which took effect the next day. The updated fare matrices were uploaded on the LTFRB’s website on Sunday.
For ordinary provincial buses, the LTFRB approved a provisional increase of P1 in the base fare and an additional 30 centavos for every succeeding kilometer.
On the other hand, the fare for regular air-conditioned provincial buses went up by 35 centavos per kilometer.
The same increase was approved for deluxe and super deluxe provincial buses, and 45 centavos per kilometer for luxury provincial buses.
Taxi and UV Express drivers, meanwhile, would have to wait a bit longer. While their petitions to hike their fare rates have also been approved, these still need to go through hearings and nationwide consultations.
The LTFRB last approved a jeepney fare rate increase in October 2023 when it granted a P1 provisional minimum fare hike, raising it from P12 to P13 for traditional jeepneys and from P14 to P15 for modern jeepneys.
Even before the Middle East conflict, jeepney transport groups had already requested a P2 fare hike, citing rising fuel and maintenance costs, while also asking the LTFRB to make the provisional minimum fare increase permanent.
The Pagkakaisa ng mga Samahan ng Tsuper at Opereytor Nationwide (Piston), however, said it would seek a higher fare increase of P5, adding that diesel prices have increased by about P50, even after price rollbacks, since October 2023.
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