TEMPORARY interventions such as aid and free rides will not fix the country’s worsening transport crisis amid rising oil prices, transport advocacy groups said Wednesday.
In a solidarity statement released on April 1, the Move as One Coalition said the oil price spike has exposed deeper and long-standing failures in the public transportation system that continue to hurt drivers, commuters and ordinary workers.
According to the group, the crisis goes beyond high fuel prices, with many drivers earning little income, commuters struggling to find rides, and workers forced to walk long distances to get home.
Mobility, the group said, should be treated as a right and not a privilege for those who own private vehicles.
It said stopgap measures such as financial aid and free rides do not address the root of the problem and merely cover up the collapse in the supply of sufficient and reliable public transportation.
Moreover, it said the burden continues to fall on the 94 percent of Filipinos who do not own cars and rely on public transportation for their daily trips.
It suggested the government must shift to long-term, people-centered transport policies rather than short-term responses.
The group pushed for reliable and sufficient public transportation through expanded net service contracting under what it called “Siguradong Sakay.”
It stated this would allow continuous public transport operations while providing drivers with financial support based on their travel distance.
“Libreng Sakay” (free ride) may even worsen losses for some drivers because passengers tend to choose free rides, leaving other operators with fewer riders, it warned.
It called on the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board to exempt local government units from the Certificate of Public Convenience requirement so they can provide transport services and respond faster to local demand.
Furthermore, the group called for longer operation hours for LRT-1, LRT-2, MRT-3, and PNR, including limited train operations during Holy Week for people who still need to travel for work and livelihood.
To protect drivers’ livelihoods, it urged the Department of Transportation to immediately release the equity subsidy for modern public utility vehicles and impose a moratorium on loan payments for modern units.
It also called for lifting restrictions on light electric vehicles and e-trikes on national highways and creating more priority lanes for public utility vehicles, bicycles and pedestrians.
