You may have heard of surge fees in ride hailing apps. A transport group, however, wants to charge a surge fee to jeepney passengers as well.
According to the group Pasang Masda, jeepney surge fees will help jeepney drivers cope with the increasing gas prices we’ve been experiencing.
The group is planning to charge an additional Php 1 to the minimum fare during 5:00 AM to 8:00 AM and 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM. At present, the minimum fare is Php 12 for traditional jeepneys and Php 14 for modern jeepneys.
“If ever LTFRB (Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board) will approve our petition, from five to eight, magmememo po ng additional ?1. Wala na po kaming sisingilin after four kilometers [a memo on the additional ?1 will be issued. We will not charge anything after four kilometers],” Pasang Masda President Obet Martin said in CNN Philippines’ Traffic Center.
Fuel Price Hike
Last week, fuel companies imposed a huge increase on fuel prices, with the price of diesel alone jumping by at least Php 6 per liter. Sadly, another fuel price hike took effect just today.
“Last week, bigla tumaas tayo ng ?7, tomorrow, additional ?3. ?10 pesos ang itataas na naman. Ito’y masyadong burden na sa aming mga jeepney drivers. Hindi na po kumikita ang aming jeepney drivers,” Martin said.