The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB), under the guidance of Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Vince Dizon, has issued a show cause order (SCO) against an operator of a taxi in a continuing drive against those who engage in fare overcharging.
In the case of a taxi with license plate NBS-8720, its operator is now under investigation over a viral video of charging a senior citizen passenger with P750 for a short travel from the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 to a bus terminal in Buendia in Pasay City.
Acting LTFRB Chairman Atty. Greg G. Pua, Jr. expressed gratitude to a netizen who uploaded the video, saying the content gave the agency all the necessary information to identify the operator of the involved taxi.
“This is an unacceptable practice. Senior citizen man o hindi, walang karapatan ang sinumang taxi driver na maningil ng higit sa itinakda ng LTFRB. We will look into this matter and we assure the public of quick action,” said Acting Chairman Pua.
Based on the report, a netizen followed the taxi after sensing that something was off over the suspicious presence of a conductor inside the cab. Normally, only passenger buses have a conductor.
The suspicion of the netizen uploader was verified when he was able to talk with the senior citizen passenger who said that he was charged P750 for the travel.
The video was uploaded on social media and went viral, which led to the monitoring of the LTFRB social media team.
In the SCO signed by LTFRB Legal Division Officer-In-Charge Atty. Ralph E. Baguio, the operator was tasked to explain in writing why its Certificate of Public Convenience should not be cancelled or suspended over the incident.
The hearing was set on Nov. 24 and Acting Chairman Pua expects the operator to honor the summon, warning that there will be legal consequences in case there was no response.
He then warned operators of taxi and other public utility vehicles to ensure that their driver would not engage in any misconduct, as he stressed that they too will suffer the consequences.
