CABANATUAN CITY – Amid the unabated increase in fuel prices, passenger vehicles as well as the number of trips along some routes here have decreased, transport officials said Tuesday.
Nelson Santos, area manager of SM North Luzon terminals that run the Cabanatuan Central Transport Terminal, said they had talked to officers of various jeepney operators and drivers’ associations (JODAs) only to make sure that units will be available to commuters in adherence to their “commitment” to the Land Transportation Franchising and Laboratory Board.
Reports showed only one jeepney from Sto. Domingo town plied the route to this city on Monday while Pantabangan had two.
Residents of Cuyapo town had to drop by Guimba town for a connecting trip to this city and vice versa as operators opted to continue this scheme since the start of the pandemic.
JODAs of Gen. Tinio and Peñaranda towns also agreed to have commuters from the latter served by the former.
But Santos said the number of vehicles in the streets seemed just “equitable to the volume of commuters.”
“Kakaunti lang din ang mga taomg lumalabas ngayon,” he noted.
Rolly Belmonte, driver/operator of a Llanera-Cabanatuan jeepney, said most of their members have decided to temporarily stop.
“Masyadong maliit ang kita, minsan ay talo pa,” he said. Of his P900 average gross, P500 goes to diesel and some to other expenses like food. “Ang natitira ay P200 to 300 na lang,” he said.
Most passenger on his route also take the government-sponsored free ride, thus he has to wait long for passengers.
