By Felipe V. Celino
ROXAS CITY, Capiz – A group of tricycle drivers here sought the help of Mayor Ronnie Dadivas to find solutions over the free ride offered by minibuses which they claimed affected their daily income.
Tricycle driver Ian De Pedro is calling for the intervention of the local government because 75 percent of their tricycle operations were affected by the Libreng Sakay.
De Pedro said tricycle drivers could hardly earn P500 a day as most of the passengers prefer the minibuses.
He said their income could not anymore meet the needs of their families aside from the maintenance and gasoline for the tricycle operations.
“Husto lang ibayad as arkila sang tricycle ang kita namon”, he stressed.
The free rides ply the routes of Dumulog, Culasi, Baybay, Libas, Barra and other place to Roxas City Integrated Transport Terminal.
The tricycle drivers are asking for a win-win solution to the problem.
“Dako ang epekto sa amon nga mga driver sang pampasahero nga traysikol ang libre sakay sa mga Modernized Public Utility Jeepneys (MPUJ’s) nga ginapatuman sa siyudad sang Roxas,” one tricycle driver said.
Ten MPUJs started offering free rides on April 19, 2021.
The free ride is a mandatory scheme under the Service Contracting Program of the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB).
Esther Montanejos, Chairman of the Panay Island Transport Service Cooperative (PITSC), said many passengers availed of the free ride scheme and most of them were healthcare workers and other frontliners.
The free ride will run for two months until June 30, 2021.
Montanejos reminded that the passengers must be 16 to 60 years old and must observe proper health protocols like wearing of face masks and face shields.
Strict observance of social distancing is likewise imposed as only 50 percent or 12 passengers can be accommodated.
The program is embodied under LTFRB memorandum circular 2021-029.
