ILOILO City – The Western Visayas Alliance of Transport Cooperatives and Corporations, Inc. (WVATCCI) and the Western Visayas Transport Cooperative (WVTC) assert that a viral Facebook post alleging overcharging by an electronic bus (e-bus) was a deliberate attempt to discredit transport cooperatives.
The post, supposedly made by a student, claimed he was charged an unfairly high fare on an e-bus.
“I boarded an e-bus from the Capitol, heading to Jaro Plaza. The conductor promptly gave me a half-torn ticket and charged me P21. This was surprising because I usually pay P12, and the tickets are typically complete,” the post stated.
Perfecto Yap, adviser-consultant and a member of the Board of Trustees of WVATCCI which comprises 12 member cooperatives and corporations, clarified that they do not operate electronic buses.
He also emphasized the improbability of overcharging by passenger assistance officers (PAO), commonly known as ‘konduktors’, as the PAO asks passengers their destination before issuing a ticket via an automatic fare collection gadget.
“This gadget works similarly to systems in grocery stores. You have to set the price first. The same principle applies to our device; you set the starting and ending points,” Yap explained to Panay News.
Yap also noted that the ticket shown in the Facebook post appeared deliberately torn to conceal the name of the cooperative or corporation operating the bus, leading to public confusion.
“The post seemed malicious, targeting only students. Students today are more knowledgeable and critical than other passengers. They are not easily fooled,” he added.
Moreover, Yap expressed his belief that the detailed nature of the viral post suggests it wasn’t created by an ordinary student.
“The person who compiled this information appears quite skilled, beyond what an ordinary student might do. We believe this was done maliciously to discredit our organization,” Yap said.
Since WVATCCI started operating modernized jeepney units, Yap said they have consistently instructed and oriented the PAOs to charge the correct fare, to prevent passenger exploitation and to protect the reputation of their alliance.
This practice has led to the hiring of inspectors by each cooperative or corporation, tasked with verifying the tickets issued by PAOs, he added.
Halley Alcarde, general manager of WVTC and secretary of WVATCCI, pointed out that their cooperative, WVTC, does not operate electronic buses, making the viral post unfounded.
“It appears to be mere propaganda aimed at discrediting our alliance, as we have no e-buses in our fleet,” Alcarde told Panay News.
Alcarde also emphasized that WVTC has a strict policy against overcharging by PAOs, with offenders facing termination from their positions.
Under the umbrella of WVATCCI, there are more than 500 modernized jeepneys in operation within the city, including over 90 units from WVTC.
The member organizations of WVATCCI include:
* Molo Transport Service Cooperative
* Santa Barbara – New Lucena Transport Service Cooperative
* Aerostar Transport Cooperative
* Iloilo Superman Owners and Drivers Transport Cooperative
* Iloilo City Alliance Operators and Drivers Transport Cooperative
* JJL Transport Corporation
* Pavia Iloilo Jeepney Owners and Drivers Transport Cooperative
* Joroshley Transport Services Incorporated
* Western Visayas Transport Cooperative
* Leon Transport Service Cooperative
* Calumpang Iloilo Service Transport Cooperative./PN
