Would you still dare ride a taxi cab?

July 7, 2018 Opinion Tinig ng Bayan

The City of Baguio is known as the center of education of Northern Luzon with the eight well-known educational institutions namely the Saint Louis University, University of the Philippines Baguio, Philippine Military Academy, University of Baguio, University of the Cordilleras, Baguio Central University, Pines City Colleges, and Easter College.
According to the data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), Baguio City has a total population of 345,366 as of August 2015.
As the population increases, the number of vehicles escalated as well including public vehicles such as jeepneys which are considered as the “king of the road”. This is because jeepneys are the cheapest mean of transportation in the city. But what if there are no available jeepneys or vacancies inside of these, especially during the most hassle moments like rainy days resulting from the altitude of the city?
The first thing that comes to mind of commuters would be riding taxi cabs. Compared to riding a jeepney, one will never experience the inconvenience of squeezing yourself with other passengers. Taxi cabs are known to be one of the most comfortable vehicles not just in the city but also in the whole country. But what if the only thing that would supposedly save you from all these inconveniences will never be convenient to you anymore? Would you still dare to ride?
The fare hike for taxi cabs was fully implemented this March as approved by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB). The flagdown rate still remains to be P35 but there is an additional P13.50 per kilometer and P2 per minute of waiting time.
One of the most possible reasons of this fare hike is the price increase of crude oil and such in the city, compared to the prices in the nearby provinces like La Union which has a difference of P5 to P10 per liter. Despite this situation, would it be reasonable for taxi cab fare to increase that high?
We are all aware that the city is one of the patronized tourist spots especially of the nearby places to study in a prestigious university aside from Manila. Hence, Baguio becomes the second home to most students. Here is where dreams of finishing studies are created, molded, and achieved.
As a student, we could never avoid riding a taxi cab especially when we are in a hurry going to school. Students are one of the most frequent passengers of taxi cabs. Now, they are increasing the fare in taxi cabs and some students in the middle class would absolutely be astounded by this information considering that most people in this status of living are just allotting budget for their daily needs in school including food, requirements, and transportation.
Students are the people most affected by this situation due to limited budget allotted for more important priorities. This is considered the hardest part of a student’s life – budgeting the allowance bimonthly.
So when would you dare ride a taxi cab? MARK JASON SELGA, UC Intern