ILOILO City – If diesel prices continue to rise, drivers and operators of modernized jeepneys here will also seek a P2.50 increase in fare.
“Nagapanilag pa kami,” said Rizal Alido, board secretary of the Iloilo City Alliance of Operators and Drivers Transport Cooperative (ICAODTC).
Currently, the minimum fare for modernized jeepneys is P11 for the first four kilometers and an additional P1.80 per succeeding kilometer.
In case the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) approved the proposed increase, the minimum fare in modernized jeepneys would be P13.50 plus P1.80 for every kilometer thereafter.
As of this writing, the price per liter of fuel ranges from P45 to P47.
For Alido, the cost of fuel has a big impact on drivers and their transport cooperative, especially with the restrictions brought about by the coronavirus pandemic.
“May protocols pa kita nga ginasunod. Ang mga pasahero limitado lang,” Alido added.
ICAODTC has 25 units of modernized jeepney.
Earlier, public utility jeepney operators and drivers in Panay Island called for a P2.50 increase in fare.
The Iloilo City Loop Alliance of Jeepney Operators and Drivers’ Association, the Iloilo City Alliance of Drivers Association, and Iloilo City Alliance of Jeepney Operators and Drivers Association (ICAJODA), among others, will request an additional P2.50, or from the P9 minimum fare to P11.50 and additional P1.50 for the first four kilometers./PN