Taxi meter receipt scheme set to start

The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) will begin tomorrow the gradual implementation of the meter receipt scheme for 33,000 taxi units all over the country.

Taxi units with license plate ending in 1 will have to present their meter approved by the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) before they can renew the registration of their vehicles.

“No metered receipt, no registration,” LTFRB chairman Thompson Lantion told The STAR.

He said around 25,000 taxi units in Metro Manila will be given priority.

These units, Lantion said, have been advised to get manual or digital meter receipts before renewing their registration.

He said the meter receipt scheme will address the problem of overcharging and contracting being done by some taxi drivers as the vehicles’ license plate will be reflected in the receipts.

“Erring taxi drivers and defective meters will soon be a thing of the past,” Lantion said, stressing that the LTFRB expects full implementation of the scheme by the end of this year.

Taxi operators earlier questioned the meter receipt scheme before the Court of Appeals but the petition was turned down.

The case was elevated to the Supreme Court, which ruled in favor of the government’s new regulation.

“There is no more legal impediment,” Lantion said.

Aside from the implementation of the meter receipt scheme, the LTFRB and the BIR will also require taxi operators to submit income tax returns being public utility vehicle operators.

The implementation of the meter receipt scheme is aimed at protecting the commuters who have several times fell victim to taxi drivers with fast or rigged meters.

The scheme is also hoped to effectively monitor and improve revenue collection.

Under the new receipt scheme, taximeters should now be placed on top of the dashboard with receipt-issuing facility so passengers can easily and clearly see the fare rate.

All meters issuing receipts must be registered with the BIR.

Lantion urged all holders of certificate of public conveyance (CPC) to comply with the memorandum circular or face stiff penalties.

He said any driver who refuses to issue receipts will be fined P1,500 for the first offense, have their CPC suspended for 30 days for the second offense, and have their CPC cancelled for the third offense.

Leonora Naval, president of the Association of Taxi Operators in Metro Manila, said the scheme would be an unnecessary burden to taxi operators who are still recovering from high oil prices last year and the high cost of spare parts.

She said taxi operators have to shell out as much as P15,800 for a receipt-issuing machine.

Transport strike

A transport group has set a nationwide transport strike on Jan. 16 to protest the high cost of car spare parts despite the falling prices of oil and other basic commodities.

Efren de Luna, national president of the Alliance of Concerned Transport Organizations (ACTO), said they are dissatisfied over the snail-paced response of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) against erring retailers of car spare parts.

“We will stage the transport strike with or without other jeepney groups or bus groups. Our member jeepney chapters all over the country as well as affiliate FX, tricycle and van drivers and operators have signified their intention to join the protest action,” De Luna said.

De Luna said the only thing that could make them call off the strike was a rollback in the prices of car spare parts by retailers and dealers in their outlets such as in Banawe street in Quezon City and Evangelista street in Makati City.

ACTO earlier called on President Arroyo to direct the DTI to take action on expensive car spare parts being sold to motorists, particularly jeepney and FX operators. –-Perseus Echeminada  With Rainier Allan Ronda, Philippine Star