The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) assured the riding public Thursday that it is not keen on approving any petition for a jeepney fare hike based on erratic movements in oil prices.

LTFRB Chairman Alberto Suansing admitted that the transport sector has a lot of problems and one of the most pressing among them is the measly income of jeepney drivers which he claims will not be solved simply by increasing the P7 minimum fare.

“Kahit itaas mo ‘yan (minimum jeepney fare) ng two pesos, ang problema ng mga jeep ay hindi sila napupuno,” said Suansing.

The LTFRB did not allow an automatic 50-centavo increase in the minimum jeepney fare as petitioned by the Federation of Jeepney Operators and Drivers Association of the Philippines (FeJODAP) last December.

The basis of that petition filed by FeJODAP president Zenaida Maranan was the spiraling prices of diesel and other oil products.

Speaking at the Broadcaster’s Forum at Hotel Rembrandt in Quezon City, Thursday, Suansing said:

“The reason why drivers’ compensation is not met is because there are a lot of vacant seats. They cannot charge the riding public for vacant seats and the LTFRB will not be a party to such moves to dislocate the public.”

The LTFRB chief said the problem was the same with regard to buses and reiterated his agency’s program to cut the number of buses plying EDSA by at least 1,000 units this year.

“We have 3,800 buses along EDSA belonging to 113 operators. Right now what we’re doing is we’re not accepting new applications for bus operators in the EDSA route. Kung gusto nila, doon sila sa labas na ruta na may kakulangan,” Suansing said.

He said the LTFRB’s ultimate goal is to limit the number of bus operators on the EDSA to just two and enforce stricter traffic and road safety compliance as well as stamp out colorum and poorly maintained buses.