The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) reminded local government units (LGUs) about the rules for allowing tricycles to resume operations amid the quarantine.
Granting permission for the return of tricycles on the road, the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) stated that each unit must only have one passenger on board. With this measure, DILG tells LGUs that they are tasked to issue a new fare matrix in order to avoid overcharging.
Additionally, the department’s undersecretary and spokesman Jonathan Malaya said that LGUs must ensure that commuters are not taken advantage of during the pandemic by imposing sanctions on drivers that overcharge rides. These sanctions are up to the respective LGUs, Malaya also noted.
An example of newly-set fare protocols for tricycle operations is the Manila City LGU’s P20 charge for the first kilometer of each trip, with P5 added for every half-kilometer that follows.
According to Manila Traffic and Parking Bureau (MTPB) Director Dennis Viaje, drivers found guilty of overcharging passengers will have their tricycles and pedicabs impounded.
Meanwhile, the Mandaluyong City LGU stated that tricycle drivers are required to undergo rapid testing conducted by the City Health department before being allowed back into the streets. On May 29, the city’s public information office said that 4,500 out of 7,000 registered tricycle drivers in the city had been tested and some had already received their results.
Aside from these measures, tricycle drivers are also subject to strict health and safety protocols such as physical distancing and wearing face masks. Tricycles and pedicabs are also still prohibited on national roads in order to avoid accidents.
Header photo by Grig C. Montegrande for Inquirer.net
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Writer: YANN MAGCAMIT
