BAGUIO CITY – The municipal government of La Trinidad on Thursday called on drivers and operators of public utility jeepneys (PUJ) in the town to reduce their voluntary fare rates, considering the recent oil price reductions.
The municipality earlier approved Resolution No. 189-2006, which supported a voluntary provisional fare increase proposed by the transport sector and agreed upon through consultations and dialogue with the community.
Under the resolution, the minimum fare was set at PHP20 for the first four kilometers, with an additional PHP2 charged for every succeeding kilometer, after fuel prices in the locality rose to around PHP150 per liter.
“These voluntary fare adjustments were adopted in response to previous elevated fuel prices and operating costs, but with the recent reduction in oil prices, there is a basis to reassess and correspondingly reduce such voluntary fare adjustments,” said Vice Mayor Guiller Galwan.
He said many PUJ drivers and operators still impose the voluntary fare adjustments beyond the minimum, which is PHP13 for the first four kilometers.
In Baguio City, jeepney drivers have reduced the voluntary fare hike to PHP16 for the first four kilometers after fuel prices were reduced.
This was on top of the city government providing a “backload subsidy” to encourage drivers to return to the central business district even without passengers and ferry the public waiting at the loading areas back to the barangays.
It can be recalled that jeepney drivers and commuters in both Baguio and La Trinidad agreed to implement a voluntary fare increase when fuel prices sharply increased. The move came after long and winding queues of passengers were observed every night, with many commuters forced to wait until around 10 p.m. because most drivers refused to make return trips without enough passengers to cover fuel costs. **Liza Agoot
