Bus operators have asked the city government of Davao to cut by half the trip ticket fee they pay at the Davao City Overland Transport Terminal (DCOTT), citing the continued high cost of fuel.
DCOTT manager Aisa Usop said on Wednesday that the city government of Davao has received a request from a bus association seeking to reduce the P200 trip ticket fee for big buses to P100 per trip.
“Direct to the City Mayor’s Office na i-reduce to half ang ilahang bayronon to 50%. Like, for example, under our Tax Revenue Code, ang bayad sa atuang mga big bus nga trip ticket nila is P200 per trip. So, ilahang request nga mahimo’g P100 na lang siya,” Usop said during the Davao Peace and Security Press Corps media briefing at The Royal Mandaya Hotel.
Usop said the request is still being discussed at City Hall and will require further study before any decision can be made.
According to Usop, the trip ticket fee is covered by the city’s existing ordinances, including Ordinance No. 110, which serves as the mother ordinance for the creation of the DCOTT.
“When it comes sa atuang mga amount, no, like stall stalls, kanang what is under sa Tax Revenue Code Ordinance, so we cannot easily nga pwede nato nga ma-grant dayon ang request without amending the City Ordinance. So, mura’g taas-taas pa gyud siguro nga proseso ba. We still need to study that and conduct some consultative meetings,” Usop added.
She said the city needs to consider not only the concerns of bus operators but also the financial implications for the terminal, which is an income-generating office.
“Dili lang sila ang naapektohan. As what I’ve said, as what you’ve said, nga naapektohan sila tungod sa kataas sa presyo sa atong gasoline. Remember that our terminal is also an income-generating office, so I have the target also, so daghan kay’g i-consider. That is why nga ingon ko nga, it requires further study,” she added.
Usop also said granting the request could prompt other transport groups under the city’s supervision to seek similar reductions.
“If we’re going to grant that, there’s a possibility also that these satellite bus terminals, or those mga public utility vans, mo-request pud na sila because that is still uh under pud sa atoa, gihapon, supervision,” she said.
The request comes as bus operators continue to adjust their operations amid high fuel costs.
Usop said some operators have already adopted strategies to reduce the impact of terminal fees and operating expenses by controlling when their buses enter the terminal.
Under the DCOTT’s Citizen’s Charter, big buses are given a 30-minute interval inside the terminal, while smaller buses are allowed 45 minutes.
“We know that uh we have this 30 to 45 minutes interval sa atuang mga bus nga mosulod diha, no? Mapuno man ang bus or dili, mo-exit gyud ka after 30 minutes for the big buses and kaning mga gino-may-may nato, o kanang gagmay lang nga company, or is 45 minutes. But nabasa pod nako sa ilahang letter request pod kang Mayor nga, uh, because of that strategy nga gihimo pod nila, affected pod ang ilahang manpower,” Usop added.
Usop said the operators’ adjustment has also affected their drivers, conductors and road inspectors, prompting them to formally seek a 50% reduction in the trip ticket.
Usop said currently no final decision has been made on the proposed reduction as the City Government of Davao continues to study the request and its possible impact on terminal revenues and other transport groups.
