Transport group ACTO seeks P1 fare hike

A transport group on Thursday asked a P1-increase in current fare prices from the Land Transportation and Franchising Regulatory Board (LTFRB), supposedly due to the increasing prices of petroleum products. The Alliance of Concerned Transport Operators (ACTO) filed a petition for a fare hike before the LTFRB on Thursday, according to a GMA News Flash Report. ACTO president Efren de Luna said that jeepney drivers in the country do not earn much these days due to the high prices of petroleum products.

Oil products cost around $80 per barrel in the world market. A liter of diesel currently costs P34 per liter in the country. The transport group likewise asked for a 50-centavo provisional fare increase from the LTFRB, while the board is still deliberating on their petition for a fare hike, the report said. ACTO participated in the 2004 party-list elections, but was delisted for the upcoming May polls due to failure to participate in the 2007 elections, as well as for failure to secure two percent of the votes in 2004. [See: Comelec delists 25 party-list groups] — Andreo Calonzo/RSJ, GMANews.TV