TABUK CITY, Kalinga – Regulatory offices of the city government and national agencies held a dialogue with officers of Tricycle Operators and Drivers’ Associations (TODA) on Wednesday, Oct. 18, following numerous complaints from commuters about abusive drivers.
The Business Permit and Licensing Office (BPLO) said many commuters have complained of tricycle drivers charging more than the minimum fare, and not honoring the 20% discount for students, disabled persons, and seniors, among other issues.
The BPLO told operators to follow the approved fare matrix, reminding them to always display the chart inside the tricycle to inform passengers of the appropriate fare rates and deter overcharging.
The BPLO warned that operators caught without a fare matrix will be cited by traffic enforcers. Violators face a penalty of P1,000 on the first offense, P3,000 on the second offense, and the cancellation of their franchise on the third offense.
Colorums
According to BPLO chief Pierre Galicia, colorums – or tricycles without franchise permits – are usually the ones that violate regulations and do not have a fare matrix.
Commuters are advised to refrain from riding in colorums to avoid being overcharged and taken advantage of. Colorums are easily identifiable as those without a body number.
Enforcers will also continue to apprehend colorums plying on roads.
The Sangguniang Panlungsod has been working on solutions to address the problem of colorums in the city, recently passing an ordinance that aims to address the proliferation of illegal units.
Councilor Marc Rainier Duguiang, primary author of the ordinance, said the measure aims to improve the process of applying for a motorized tricycle operators permit or MTOP and will pave the way for the lifting of the moratorium on the issuance of new tricycle franchises which is partly blamed for the rise of colorums.