The regional office of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB 11) ended the implementation of the “20% Off Fare” initiative under the Department of Transportation’s (DOTr) Land-Based Service Contracting Program on Friday.
The program, which started on April 27, provided commuters in selected Davao Region routes with reduced fares for modernized Public Utility Vehicles (PUVs) during peak weekday hours.
Covered routes included Davao City–Baganga via Mati City; Digos City–Malalag; Digos City–Bansalan; Digos City–Magsaysay Proper via Bansalan and via Matanao; Digos City–Inawayan in Sta. Cruz; and Malita, Davao Occidental–Davao City.
Under the scheme, passengers enjoyed a 20 percent fare discount from 5 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. to 9 p.m., Mondays to Fridays while statutory discounts for senior citizens, persons with disabilities (PWDs), and students were also applied on top of the program’s reduced fares.
LTFRB 11 Director Nonito A. Llanos III credited the success of the initiative to strong cooperation between the government and transport stakeholders.
“The successful implementation of the Service Contracting Program in Davao Region reflects the strong collaboration between government and our transport stakeholders,” Llanos said.
He added that the program helped ease commuter expenses while supporting transport operators amid rising costs.
“Through this initiative, we were able to provide meaningful fare relief to commuters while supporting the continued operations of our Transport Service Entities amid increasing operational costs due to the increase in fuel prices,” Llanos said.
