MANILA, Philippines – A bill seeking to protect the rights of taxi passengers against rude and picky drivers has been filed in the Senate.
In filing Senate Bill No. 730, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian proposes the establishment of the Bill of Rights of Taxi Passengers which enumerates the rights of commuters and sanctions to be imposed against “abusive, itinerant and discourteous cab drivers.”
Gatchalian said the measure seeks to address the problem of unruly taxi drivers and prevent any more untoward incidents to the riding public.
“Most of the tourists who come to our country have fallen victims to these enterprising cab drivers. This sad state to our transportation system has been tolerated and ignored for lack of laws that singly protect our commuting public,” he said in a statement.
“In order to address this problem and prevent any more untoward incidents of this nature to occur in the future, a passenger bill of rights is hereby proposed to protect the commuting public from abusive, itinerant, and discourteous drivers and provide sanctions for the offenses they commit against the riding public,” he added.
Under the proposed measure, taxi passengers shall have the right, among others, to be served by a taxi driver who is properly dressed and wear company identification card; and be served by a driver who is not under the influence of alcohol or dangerous drugs.
Taxi passengers should be picked up and brought to their stated destination, regardless of the length of the journey or traffic condition.
They should also be able to view the taxi fare meter that shall be duly calibrated and sealed by the proper authorities; pay the rate exactly as posted in the meter, subject to other government-sanctioned fees; and be given the exact amount of change.
Under the bill, violating taxi drivers and operators will face a fine of P1,000 and suspension of driver’s license for seven days for the first offense; P3,000 and suspension of driver’s license for six months for the second offense, and; a fine of P5,000 as well as one-year suspension of the driver’s license.
“In all cases, the erring driver or operator shall undergo an education seminar provided under this Act. The attendance by the concerned drivers and operators in such seminars shall be mandatory, failure of which shall be a ground for non-reinstatement of the driver’s license of the driver or suspension of the franchise of the operator, as the case may be,” the bill stated.
The bill has been referred to the Senate committee on public services.
The post Bill protecting rights of Taxi passengers vs abusive drivers sought appeared first on UNTV News.