In the Philippines, there are already rules that state that taxi services should be at par with the services offered by transportation and network companies , according to the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board. This initiative is the commuters’ demand. Taxi operators must comply with the omnibus franchising guidelines issued in earlier part of 2016 as part of the government’s public utility vehicle (PUV) modernization program. If you will do your research, even other countries like the schipholtaxi.xyz where advance booking of taxi or private car is very useful especially in the airport.
“The taxis should have automated fare collection, WiFi connectivity, dashcam, among others to comply with the franchising guidelines,” Lizada said in an interview with reporters. Under the Omnibus Franchising Guidelines, local government units plan public transport routes based on the current and projected travel patterns in their respective areas. This will make the system more organized. Moreover, this will also be beneficial to commuters, especially the number of taxi drivers who ask for overpriced fare will lessen.
As for the routes, it will be contained in the Local Public Transport Route Plan (LPTRP) of LGUs that will serve as basis for the franchise issuance by the LTFRB. They also plan to meet with taxi operators who are partnering with taxi-hailing app MiCab to discuss the issue of granting more taxi franchises. MiCab has stated that it would partner with as many as 7,000 cabs in Metro Manila this year.
The service, which is available in Cebu and Iloilo, is aiming for an initial 3,000 taxis in the metropolis by October. Unlike transportation network companies (TNCs) Uber and Grab, MiCab only connects passengers to a network of regular taxis with franchises, not private vehicles. It also allows users to give feedback about their taxi ride and rate their driver.
The agency, she said, would coordinate with the Land Transportation Office (LTO) to craft policies that will impose stricter sanctions on abusive taxi drivers. “We would like to get the help of transport planners and an expert of UP on how to calibrate giving or opening up more franchises again to address supply of taxi… I mean, to put in more supply in order to address demand,” Delgra added. (PNA)