Higher fares, fewer rides: How Cebu commuters are dealing with oil price hikes

CEBU, Philippines – Helen Ardiente, an office worker and mother of five, has to spend a total of P120 a day to go from home in the uphill village of Barangay Guba to work in the busy urban hub of Gorordo Avenue in Cebu City and vice-versa.

The estimated distance between Guba and Gorordo is 19 kilometers and each ride lasts for an hour or more, depending on traffic. Ardiente often endures a waiting time of one to two hours before the next mini-bus arrives.

Before the price of oil began to spike in early March due to the US-Israel war on Iran, Ardiente told Rappler on Monday, March 30, that she only needed to pay P55 for each ride but it has since increased to P60.

“Dako kaayong igo sa amoa, labi na ang sweldo same lang (It’s a huge blow to us, especially since our salaries remain the same),” Ardiente said.

For the office worker, this means that she pays P10 more per day for transportation expenses going to work and home and that subsequently turns into P200 more in a month, assuming she clocks in for all 20 regular working days of the month.

In a matter of days, her projected monthly expenses for commuting went from P2,200 to P2,400— a difference of P200 which could have been used as additional allowances for her children, four of whom are still in school.

On March 17, the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) announced higher fares for public utility jeepneys, city buses, ride-hailing cars, point-to-point (P2P) buses, and airport taxis. The LTFRB already approved fare increases for provincial buses, which took effect on March 14.

The fare hike was supposed to take effect on March 19 but President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. suspended the fare hike on March 18, just a day before implementation.

The suspension of the fare hike prompted groups like Pagkakaisa ng mga Samahan ng Tsuper at Opereytor Nationwide (PISTON) to hold transport strikes that has affected major cities in Cebu province, which include but are not limited to Lapu-Lapu City, Mandaue City, and Cebu City.

More commuters, fewer rides

For many Cebu commuters, the rise in fuel prices means that more people would be opting to commute, and more jeepney drivers canceling trips due to low income.

“Ang byahe karon nga nimahal ang gasolina, less ang traffic pero inig 5 pm to 7 pm, mga two hours jud mi maghulat kon dili mi maningkamot makasakay sa gawas sa terminal,” Ardiente said.

(Now that the price of gasoline has become more expensive, there’s less traffic when we travel but from 5 pm to 7 pm, waiting takes two hours if we don’t try to catch a ride outside the terminal)

Melanie Bayarcal, a food vendor from Barangay Busay in Cebu City, told Rappler that most residents who have their own vehicles are choosing to commute because of the high fuel prices.

“Permi na lang puno mga jeep kay dili na kaayo sila mugamit og sakyanan (Most jeeps are full because car owners are no longer using their cars),” Bayarcal said.

In Cebu City, the price of diesel is up to P140 per liter while the price of gasoline has also spiked to at least P100 per liter. 

Illegal hikes?

Despite a suspension in fare hikes, some commuters in Cebu have reported an increase in fares for jeepney rides, especially those traveling between cities.

“From Ayala to Mandaue City, some nagpasaka sila, nag-add sila og P2 or P3 sa minimum fare, which is P15 so mahimo na siya P17 or P18 kay ilang reason kay nisaka ang gas,” Mandaue City resident Cecilane Derama told Rappler.

(From Ayala to Mandaue City, some of them raised the fare, they added P2 or P3 to the minimum fare, which is P15 that would become P17 or P18 and their reason is due to the rising price of gas.)

In most cases, Derama shared, they pay the additional P2 to P3 as most commuters are left with few options due to the limited quantity of available jeepneys plying the roads of Cebu, especially during the evening rush hour between 5 pm to 7 pm.

“As the passenger, wala kaayo ka choice (you don’t have much of a choice). You need to go home so you need to pay another P2 or P3,” the commuter added.

In a Sunstar Cebu article on March 27, LTFRB Central Visayas Director Abosamen Matuan said the agency would validate reports of illegal fare hikes, stressing that violators would be penalized.

The LTFRB, in a press release on Monday, March 30, announced that it has issued a show cause order (SCO) against eight bus firms over allegations of implementing fare hikes without government approval.

LTFRB Chairman Vigor Mendoza said that some of these erring bus firms are operating in the Bicol region and are facing suspension and cancellation of their Certificate of Public Convenience (CPC) — a document needed for firms to operate on public roads.

Mendoza also urged commuters to report cases of illegal fare hike and overcharging to the LTFRB. – Rappler.com