The scheduled hearing this February 19 of the petition to increase the minimum jeepney fare to P15 is a direct blow to the already pinched pockets of the poor. Public transportation is the lifeline of daily survival for minimum-wage earners, informal workers, and students, and any outrageous fare hike will push them further into economic destitution. The government has to balance assisting transport operators to recover their costs while making sure commuters are not asked to pay extra fares.
Yes, the fuel and maintenance fees have skyrocketed, but not only will this fare hike pin jeepney drivers to the wall, but it will also kill the riders who use these public transport vehicles daily. A worker earning less than the minimum wage a day will be seeing most of his or her pay going towards transportation fees alone, which will then leave him or her with less money for food, rent, and other essentials. Students, already paying tuition and school fees, will need to hurdle yet another obstacle just to reach their classrooms. In a nation where every peso is important, charging an additional five pesos per ride is not only inconvenient—it is punitive.
Its economic impact cannot be disregarded. Low-income earners such as small vendors, laborers, and other similar ones will be forced to spend more money just to get to the source of their livelihoods, which would lower their disposable income and retard local expenditure. This would, in effect, undermine small business that relies on daily consumer traffic. The increase in fares, rather than assisting the economy to bounce back, will further ensure poverty and increase the gap between those with the ability to bear increased living expenses and those without.
Although the jeepney drivers and operators are entitled to just rewards for their labor, the government should not lay the financial burden on commuters without looking for alternatives. Fuel subsidies, assistance programs, and a more progressive modernization program must have priorities to assist the transport industry at commuters’ cost. The fare increase should be the last resort, not the first.
LTFRB should painstakingly examine this petition keeping in mind the welfare of the poor. If the administration is genuinely interested in economic recovery and social justice, it should not approve any fare increase that will only aggravate the economic pain of the working class. Alternative solutions that likewise take into consideration the welfare of jeepney drivers and the survival of commuters should be sought.
