The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) will be deploying mystery riders to better monitor the pricing of transport network vehicle services (TNVS). This is after the agency issued a show-cause order to ride-hailing app Joyride for charging excessive fares.

“The LTFRB intends to deploy mystery riders in the next few days to check on the compliance of the TNCs and TNVS operators on the proper fare structure and the terms and conditions of the MC,” the board said.

According to the LTFRB, Joyride Ecommerce Technologies Corp. was charging as high as Php 1,000 for a one-way ride for a ‘Priority Boarding Fee.’ 

In addition to Joyride, LTFRB also wrote warning letters to E-pick Me Up, Ipara, Joy Ride, My Taxi PH, and Cloud Panda, which are all accredited TNCs. 

The board said that the fares for the TNVS are supposed to be:

• P40.00 flag down rate for sedan-type TNVS, with P15.00 fare per kilometer and P2.00 per minute travel fare.
• For a Premium AUV/SUV, flag-down rate is at P50.00 with P18.00 per kilometer fare and P2.00 per minute travel.
• Hatchback or Sub-compact type TNVS have a P30.00 flag-down rate with a P13 per kilometer fare rate and P2.00 per minute travel fare. 

Under the existing law, overcharging has a fine of P5,000 for the first offense; P10,000 and impounding of a unit for thirty days for the second offense; and a fine of P15,000 and cancellation of certificate of public convenience for the third offense.