'Modernization could raise jeepney fare to P30-P40'

THE government's plan to use modern jeepneys worth P2.8 million each, payable in seven years with 6-percent interest, could cause a fare hike of P30 to P40, said Rep. Bonifacio Bosita of 1-Rider party-list.

During the House Committee on Transportation's motu proprio inquiry on the status of the implementation of the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program, Bosita said that based on his personal evaluation, a jeepney driver must earn P6,000 or P7,000 daily to pay for the P2.8 million (with 6-percent interest for seven years) he loaned to buy a modern jeepney.

For a driver to pay for the unit and earn a living, the fare must be raised to P30 to P40, he said.

Chairman Teofilo Guadiz 3rd of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board said Bosita's computation «is accurate only if the vehicle is bought for P2.8 million.»

During the inquiry, the committee was told that a cooperative will have a freedom to choose their supplier of modern jeepney, hence price might differ from one vendor to another.

Last week, House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez appealed to the Department of Transportation to review the jeepney modernization program launched in 2017.