Crack down on PUJ trip cutters too

So the LTFRB-7 together with other agencies started the crackdown on Angkas and habal-habal drivers. This came so quick after the Supreme Court had its say on the legality of this public transport. But the riding public is asking now, what happened to the issue raised during the fare increase public hearing about the rampant PUJ trip cutting? LTFRB-7 Regional Director Eduardo Montealto commented he will act on it. At first I was happy to read the headlines a day after the said public hearing took place in LTFRB7's office last October, that read “Trip cutting putlon.” But as far as I remember it was unclear how the agency will solve the problem when in fact this was also promised by the former LTFRB-7 Ahmed Cuizon, but for six years he failed to put an end to trip cutting. So here we go again, statements have been made, passengers expect change, but after a month or two, we haven't heard any concrete plan or action from LTFRB about this.

Rampant trip cutting happens every day. Drivers plying the Naga and Minglannila routes are the number one violators. If you'll put LTFRB personnel anytime in this area I'm pretty sure he can catch a number of violators in under 30 minutes. This problem has been happening since my childhood days, and hearing another promise without quick results is a kind of dismay to us. Not to mention, not only the said route is trip cutting, it's happening in almost all routes in the city during the night when PUJ drivers seem free to do whatever they want.

LTFRB-7 is quick to conduct an operation against habal-habal and Angkas drivers in a matter of days or weeks, after the issue was put to light recently, while the October promise of apprehending trip-cutting violators has been put to sleep. Adding another issue they wanted to implement strictly is the bus overloading problem. Can the LTFRB solve these issues before jumping to another promise?

We want a proper solution. We don't want to wait for when another transportation issue arises. Maybe LTFRB-7 will put it as priority, set aside its first promise of action against PUJ trip cutting. For isn't it so insulting that after LTFRB-7 vows to stop trip cutting, violators continue their wrongdoings and it seems these kind of drivers feel no fear at all?

LTFRB7 Regional Director Eduardo Montealto, after all was a retired Army soldier, and we hope he will not keep in silence when his agency has been repeatedly insulted by these PUJ drivers by violating the law, and showing no respect for him as LTFRB7 head. And if Montealto will conduct an operation, please avoid the warning game, just surprise these violators by slapping them the penalty they deserve.

Give no warning, please catch them by surprise. They deserve it. The riding public is waiting to put an end to this kind of abuse, whether the cost of gasoline is high or low, we witnessed how they continue to be abusive.

As a mom, a taxpayer, and a passenger, I feel very bad that for so many, many years, these violators continue to roam our streets without signs of fear, no respect for passengers, no respect for law, and no respect for LTFRB's rules and regulations.

Grace Abatayo

Cebu City