* This is my column in BusinessWorld last August 31, 2018.
HERE’s a mixture of news for traffic-wary motorists and
passengers in Metro Manila and other big cities in the country.
The good news: (1) more big infrastructure projects like
skyway extension, M.Manila subway and Makati subway are either near completion
or about to start construction, and (2) regular passengers of transport network
vehicle service (TNVS) will soon experience shorter waiting time as the Land
Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) has increased the
number of accredited cars by 10,000 last August 24.
The bad news: (3) many roads leading to and after exiting
the skyway will remain congested because of the big volume of vehicles, (4) the
10,000 new TNVS cars to be accredited by LTFRB are not enough to significantly
bring down waiting time and fares, and (5) many accredited but inactive,
suspended, or booted out TNVS drivers and their cars are still not delisted in
the LTFRB “masterlist” and hence, cannot be replaced by new ones who can help
expand the number of available ride-sharing vehicles.
The LTFRB is ground zero of these endless problems not
only with TNVS but also other types of public transportation in the country.
Here are the reasons.
One, franchise control. Putting a small and fixed cap on
the number of accredited TNVS, UV express vehicles, buses, taxis, resulting in
huge numbers of people unable to get fast and safe rides. Queuing and waiting
too long, or standing in cramped, heavily-loaded buses and jeepneys, force many
people to drive their cars, which further worsens traffic congestion.
In the table below, when there was still Grab-Uber
competition, total number of cars and drivers was 43,000. After the merger, it
went down to 35,000 because LTFRB did not and would not accredit 8,000 former
Uber drivers and cars to be absorbed by Grab. The immediate result is longer
waiting time for passengers and higher fares as additional disincentives for
limited drivers to go into heavy traffic or frequently flooded areas.
Two, fare control. Fare-setting is not a function of rise
or fall of oil prices, or degree of competition per route per hour, but a
function of the willingness of the Board’s bureaucrats to meet and decide on
fares that hardly change for months or years.
Three, route control. Disallowing buses, UV express,
jeepneys, etc. to serve routes that experience high passenger volume (there is
a barangay or city or provincial fiesta, etc.).
Four, very bureaucratic and costly procedures to get
LTFRB accreditation. For instance, if one would apply as a new TNVS
driver/partner, applicant must provide (a) proof of existence/various IDs, (b)
proof of sufficiency of garage, (c) TCT or tax declaration or contract of
lease/Authority to use with TCT of lessor, (d) LGU Zoning Certificate for
garage, (e) proof of financial capability, latest income tax return, proof of
bank deposit of P50,000, (f) DTI business registration, (g) BIR certificate of
registration, (h) Proof of publication, (i) affidavit by the publisher, copies
of publication, etc.
Five, rising regulations and requirements. Which means
rising cost of operating public transportation. Mandatory receipts in taxi, GPS
for buses and taxi, unbundling and detailed breakdown of fares by TNVS. Soon
mandatory CCTV inside buses and TNVS, other wild requirements.
LTFRB has become a wild-cannon bureaucracy that creates
more inconvenience to passengers instead of making their travels more
convenient, more safe.
LTFRB should be checked by Congress or the Office of the
President. Providing safe and convenient transportation to wary passengers is
not a crime that should be penalized with endless command and control culture,
stiff fines and penalties, even confiscation of private property like a car,
van or bus.
Bienvenido S. Oplas, Jr. is president of Minimal
Government Thinkers, a member institute of Economic Freedom Network (EFN) Asia.
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See also:
BWorld 241, Land transport modernization and the bureaucracy, August 21, 2018
BWorld 243, NAIA closure, Passenger rights and MIAA, August 24, 2018
BWorld 244, Property rights and political lefts, September 2, 2018
BWorld 245, Renewables illusion and coal realism, September 7, 2018
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