By Jigger Jerusalem/Philippine News Agency
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY — Taxi operators in Northern Mindanao, who want to avail of a franchise for their units, are urged to organize themselves into either a cooperative or a corporation, the chief of Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board-10 (LTFRB-10) said over the weekend.
LTFRB-10 Director Aminoden Guro noted Saturday that this city alone has more than 2,000 existing taxi units, adding they have opened franchises for 250 new units provided that operators register as a member of a larger group, such as a cooperative or a corporation.
Based on memorandum circular 2019-014, an applying entity must have at least 50 brand new taxi units before it could be granted a franchise.
Aside from that, Guro said the applicant should have a spacious garage located within the area of operation to house the taxi units.
The franchise applicant, Guro said, must openly declare how many franchises they intend to apply for in order for the LTFRB Board to determine when to stop accepting more applications.
Another directive from the Department of Transportation, Department Order 2017-011 — or the omnibus guidelines on the planning and identification of public road transportation services and franchise issuance — also stipulates the creation of public transport routes and services to ensure the convenience of the riding public.
Guro said these DOTr order and memorandum circular are meant to provide better public utility services to commuters.
Guro also said Executive Order 202 gave the LTFRB the power to prescribe and regulate routes of service, economically-viable capacities and zones or areas or operation of public land transportation services provided by motorized vehicles.
The LTFRB, he said, also requires taxis must be equipped with a closed-circuit television camera, dashboard camera (dashcam), global positioning system, and internet connection.
At present, Guro said LTFRB only requires dashcams but by the third quarter of this year, taxi units must have the mandated upgrades already installed.
“Taxi units must be compliant or we will not confirm their franchise,” he said, adding that the Land Transportation Office will also not renew a taxi’s registration unless it is approved by the LTFRB.
Guro said they are also addressing the issue of “colorum” or taxis that are operating illegally, which have been proliferating in Cagayan de Oro.
He said taxi drivers and operators can regulate themselves to solve the problem of taxis without franchise and other necessary permits from the LTFRB.
“They can police their own ranks. Taxi drivers who can catch those ‘colorum’ taxis can report these to us or to the police, so we can impound their vehicles,” he said.
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