First of three parts
REFUGE was the word used to describe the cab when it was at its peak. It kept people away from unwanted dangers, such as armed robbery and snatching.
Taking a cab used to allow commuters—who want the luxury of being safe from harm and stress—to sleep en route to the office, or rest while traveling back home. But in today’s setting, one must be more alert of
his or her surroundings and be more vigilant when riding a cab.
Mara Viola, a real-estate broker from Manila, used to feel safe inside a vehicle, until that Wednesday morning.
She flagged down a taxi at the corner of San Marcelino and Nakpil streets in Manila at around 8:45 in the morning to go to The Fort in Bonifacio Global City in Taguig City.
Habitually, she first asked the driver if he could take her to the location. He obliged after five seconds, she said.
Well-informed about recent rape and robbery incidents involving taxis in Metro Manila, she texted the plate number
of the vehicle to her boy-friend, just to inform him of her whereabouts.
“On our way to The Fort, the driver suddenly turned left to an alley along P. Ocampo Street. I asked him why, and he explained that we were deflecting traffic,” Viola said.
But, as the minutes passed by, she became more cautious. Sensing danger was ahead, she began to observe the driver.
“The most curious thing he did was to constantly look from his rear- view mirror. I knew he was looking at me, and not at any car behind us. He did it for about seven or eight times, then he suddenly glanced at me, which got me worried and, at the same time, I became more alert,” the broker said.
After three minutes, the driver was rubbing his elbows, as if he was doing something fishy.
“Then, I smelled something pleasant, something like vanilla, and it was so strong. I felt different after that. My whole body went numb and, at the same time, I felt dizzy,” she said. “That’s when I realized that I am being victimized by one of those bad taxi drivers.”
She immediately jumped out of the vehicle, which caused minor injuries. There were a lot of people around, she recalled.
“The people stopped the taxi from escaping. I was weeping from fear and pain. The people called the police, and we were brought to Arellano Police Community Precinct to explain,” Viola said.
But the police told her straight that her case is not that strong.
“The driver might have thrown the evidence away while the police were on their way,” she said.
The taxi driver escaped prison, but he earned the ire of social media.
Viola is just one of the thousands who have had bad experiences with cabs.
Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) Chairman Winston M. Ginez said his agency has been tracking the movement of these criminal operations, but noted that only a few number of cases exist.
“It’s because people might be afraid to file a complaint, or they just don’t have the time to do it,” he said.
Aside from the incident that happened to Viola, the LTFRB has also received complaints on rude and obnoxious drivers, cabs that refuse customers, and even fraud.
Some drivers around the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) Complex are charging overseas Filipino workers or even foreigners ridiculously higher fees than what the meter indicates.
Good apples, bad apples
Taxi drivers allegedly connive with Naia security, convincing passengers that there is a new “laminated tariff” or “dollar rates.”
A trip from the airport to Antipolo City in the east would cost about $55, or about P2,500, based on the fraudulent rate cards. Normally, it would take about P500 or less based on the meter.
Though not as bad as the drug incident, some drivers are just less compassionate. They are picky when it comes to destinations, despite the mandate on their franchise. They even refused elderly and sick people who are in an emergency, just because the main road is flooded.
One incident, according to news reports, involved a taxi driver robbing a mother, whose son was flown to Manila to have a second opinion on how to treat the poor boy’s leukemia.
But there are good and bad apples in a basket—so they say. Reports are also sprouting like mushrooms, once in a while, about honest taxi drivers.
Some found money, phones, laptops and expensive items left on their vehicles, and they were more than happy to return these high-valued items to their owners.
Open doors
Still, the stigma that the bad eggs have created gave the whole taxi industry a negative blow.
This led to the introduction of transport network companies, or TNCs, such as Uber and GrabCar, in 2014.
A TNC is an organization that provides prearranged transportation services for compensation using an Internet-based technology application or a digital-platform technology to connect passengers with drivers using their personal vehicles.
They will provide the public with online-enabled transportation services, known as a Transportation Network Vehicle Services, or TNVS, which will connect drivers with ride-seekers through an app.
In a nutshell, TNCs are companies that partner with private-vehicle owners or even fleet managers to provide private taxi services to consumers.
But the introduction of such services was not as smooth sailing as it sounds. The LTFRB previously went against Uber for operating without a license. However, the company was able to find a loophole in the regulation, prompting it to sound off its interest in developing and modernizing traffic rules in the country.
The market players and the government met constantly to thresh out the specifics of the proposal to modernize Manila’s transport rules. The Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) and its subagencies opened up their ears to the qualms and issues of the companies, all the while reminding them that the final say will still be from the government.
And so they won.
‘Simple decision’
“Ride-sharing services have provided the public with a decent, safe, convenient and reliable commuting option. We were, therefore, faced with two alternatives: one, to ban these services and take an efficient commuting option away from the public; or two, to regulate them in order to allow the public to continue enjoying those services within a legal framework. This was a simple decision to make. Obviously, we chose to do what would best serve the public,” Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio A. Abaya said.
The recent issuance of new rules on ride-sharing operators is a recent victory for market players, said Michael Brown, the general manager of Uber Southeast Asia and Australia.
“We laud the Philippines for being so technology-forward and sophisticated in recognizing that shared economy is here to stay,” he added.
The Philippines is the first country to regulate app-based vehicle-hailing services.
“We’re proud to say that the regulatory framework we crafted is an excellent template for other countries to follow. TNCs, themselves, have described the Philippines as ‘technology-forward and sophisticated,’ being the first country ‘to create a national dedicated framework for ridesharing.’ The collaborative approach we took resulted in progressive regulations, which we understand is now being studied by other countries,” the transport chief added.
Uber Manila General Manager Lawrence Cua noted that the foray of his company to the Philippines in early 2014 opened up opportunities and choices to Filipino commuters, or the likes of Viola.
But the battle continues for these tech-based companies. What happened to Viola during her unpleasant taxi ride that Wednesday morning could also happen to her inside an Uber or a GrabCar vehicle. To be continued
Image credits: ROY DOMINGO