Taxis, TNVS going cashless, contactless in GCQ areas

“Mama, bayad po (Sir, here’s my fare)!”

This familiar statement upon the passenger’s arrival in his or her destination will soon be a thing of the past as the country starts to practice “new normal” brought about by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.

Last May 15, the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board

(LTFRB) issued Memorandum Circular No. 2020-018 directing taxis and transport network vehicle service (TNVS) to practice cashless and contactless transactions upon the resumption of their operations in areas under general community quarantine (GCQ).

Guidelines on how to enforce this are stated in the memorandum.

“The existing policy of the Board for fare setting for TNVS and taxi shall apply. Fare collection shall strictly be through cashless payment or through online payment facility only,” the latest memorandum reads.

Under the circular, bookings and payments in ride-hailing cars like Grab must be done “strictly through an online facility or electronic payment only” provided by a duly accredited transport network company (TNC).

For taxis, the LTFRB said the fare meter of the units must be calibrated and fare payment transactions should be cashless. In case of street-hailed vehicles, operators or drivers are directed to enroll or register with available electronic payment providers, the agency added.

With this, taxi units are required to be equipped with an Internet or webbased app provided by an accredited TNC for booking and online payment transactions.

Aside from the implementation of the new mode of payment, the LTFRB ordered all drivers to maintain a daily passenger manifest or logbook to record pertinent information of passengers for contact tracing.

In the same memorandum, operators were directed to submit pertinent documents with their accredited TNC to be forwarded to the LTFRB for processing and validation. List of drivers who are qualified to operate within GCQ areas will be posted by the LTFRB, it added.

The LTFRB reminded all taxi and TNVS operators that their franchise must be valid or have an existing provisional authority issued by the central or regional office, and should also be registered with a valid personal passenger insurance policy.

These conditions are on top of the existing health protocols set by the Department of Transportation upon

resumption of public transport operations during the GCQ which include a “no face mask, no ride” policy for both drivers and passengers, regular disinfection of vehicles after every trip, and the strict observance of the reduced passenger capacity in line with the physical distancing guidelines.

The agency warned operators and drivers to comply with the guidelines or they may face fines or cancellation or suspension of their certificates of public convenience (CPC).

“Deliberate failure to comply with any of the provisions herewith shall be construed as a violation to the terms and conditions of their CPC and shall be dealt with accordingly,” the LTFRB said in the memo.

“The Board, its Regional Offices and authorized representatives shall strictly monitor the compliance of all PUV drivers, conductors, and operators [with] this memorandum,” it added.

The circular, which was approved in a teleconference meeting led by LTFRB Chairman Martin Delgra III, was set to take effect May 16.