Taxi drivers on Oplan Isnabero: catching picky drivers should be situational

By Jose Angelo Ycasiano

April 26, 2023

Photo sourced from Inquirer.net

The intensification of the Land Transportation Office - National Capital Region West’s (LTO-NCR West) operation named “Oplan Isnabero” raised concerns from taxi drivers, as they argued that apprehending selective drivers should depend on the situation.

The LTO-NCR West revived the operation from April 11 to 14 in response to numerous complaints from commuters about passenger-selective taxi drivers during this year’s Holy Week celebrations. This is also due to some taxi drivers who overcharge passengers' fares.

LTO-NCR West made an announcement on its Facebook page on the first day of the operation, April 11, stating that apart from the operation’s primary objective to catch taxi drivers, they will also enforce traffic rules and assist passengers in boarding public utility vehicles.

“Kasabay nito ay patuloy din ang pagpapatupad ng mga batas-trapiko at maging ang pagbibigay ng tulong sa mga pasahero na naipit sa trapiko at maging sa mga kasalukuyang stranded sa mga bus terminals,” LTO-NCR West said in the Facebook post.

Oplan Isnabero was initiated by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) last year, on December 14, which is a joint initiative between the agency and mall owners to make sure that taxi drivers do not take advantage of their passengers.

Situational

Some taxi drivers agreed with apprehending drivers that refuse passengers, but they explained that it has to be dependent on the situation of the taxi driver.

“Dapat talaga hulihin yung mga driver na ganyan, pero nakadepende ‘yun sa sitwasyon. May mga driver na sobra-sobra na maningil; yun yung dapat hulihin, pero kapag yung mga pauwi na yung driver, ‘wag na hulihin yun,” Ruben Guia, a long-time taxi driver explained to NEO.

According to LTO-NCR West Operations Chief Hanz Lim in an interview on Rundown ANC on April 11, the primary purpose of Oplan Isnabero is to apprehend taxi drivers who demand overpriced payments from their passengers.

Erwin Villar, a taxi driver for three months now, raised the concern of no guarantee of earning the money back from long trips, such as trips to airports.

“Merong mga taxi driver na hindi nagpapasakay dahil malayo yung pupuntahan. Hindi kasi sila kikita kung hindi nila makukuha yung pera kapag pabalik na sila dun sa terminal nila,” Villar told NEO.

According to online journey planner Rome2Rio, the fastest way to get to Ninoy Aquino International Airport from Manila is by taxi, taking only 14 minutes, but the price ranges from P270 to P330.