LTFRB warns defiant taxi operators on receipt
The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) on Tuesday warned taxi operators that they face severe penalties, including revocation of their franchise, if they continue to defy a directive to install receipt-issuing meters on their cabs as well as issue manual receipts in the meantime. “Continuing to defy the directive may cost them their franchises,” LTFRB chairman Alberto Suansing said. “We are implementing the policy that covers all taxi units in the country. They must have the device.”
The LTFRB earlier said that taxi operators should have the device installed on their units when they go to the agency to have their meters resealed.
The LTFRB chief issued the warning after receiving complaints that some cab drivers still refused to issue receipts to their passengers in compliance with the requirement that took effect June 1. Drivers of cabs still without the gadget are supposed to issue manual receipts, but these must be registered with the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR).
Each receipt – whether manual or digital – should bear the name of the operator and taxi driver, license plate number, the area where the transaction takes place and the amount of the fare.
Taxicabs with license plates ending in 1 and 6 were supposed to be the first to comply. Other taxicabs have until December to acquire the device and may issue manual receipts on a temporary basis.
According to Suansing, the first offense will net the taxi operator a P1,000 fine. A second offense nets a P3,000 fine and the operator's certificate of public conveyance (CPC) is suspended for 30 days. On the third offense, the franchise will be canceled.
Suansing also encouraged passengers to send their complaints about taxis that still do not issue manual receipts through text messages to his cell phone 0918-9447951.
Reports must include the taxi’s plate number and the time and place of incident, he said.
In enforcing the new scheme, the LTFRB has started deploying “monitoring teams” to check on the compliance of taxi drivers.
Earlier, the Philippine National Taxi Operators Association (PNTOA) said they would boycott the policy and might even bring the matter to the court.
The operators also complained about the cost of the device which, they said, ranges from P15,000 to P18,000 each.
There are about 32,000 taxicabs in the country, of which 17,000 are in Metro Manila. (PNA)