MANILA, Philippines — Commuters in the National Capital Region, Region 3 and Region 4 can expect no fare increase for public utility jeepneys (PUJ) early in the New Year after the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) said it will take until March to resolve the petition to hike minimum fare rate from P8 to P10.

LTFRB Board Member Manuel Iway said at least five public hearings are scheduled this month for the consolidated fare hike petition filed by the Federation of Jeepney Operators and Drivers Association of the Philippines (FEJODAP), Alliance of Transport Operators and Drivers Association of the Philippines (ALTODAP), Liga ng Transportasyon at Opereytors sa Pilipinas (LTOP), MTU-Transporter, Alliance of Concerned Transport Operators (ACTO) and Pangkalahatang Sanggunian Manila and Suburbs Drivers Association (Pasang Masda).

In a petition filed last November, the PUJ operators and drivers sought to increase minimum fare covering the first four kilometers by P2 and increase from P1.40 to P1.75 for each succeeding kilometer.

Iway said commuter groups, oil companies, and government counsels, among others, will be invited to a series of hearings on the petition which could take until March.

“We assure the riding public and the petitioners of a fair deliberation of this petition. We will be just and base our judgment only on solid evidence and not mere claims,” he said.

When asked if the LTFRB will grant the petitioners’ prayer for a 50-centavo provisional fare increase while the Board deliberates on the P2 fare increase, Iway said the three-man Board will also study the necessity of a provisional fare increase.

“We will deliberate on it. We will decide if there is a need for a provisional fare increase not only because of the erratic price of diesel,” he said.

Aside from prevailing price of petroleum products, the prices of spare parts, cost of living, and wage hikes are some of the factors that are considered in deliberating fare hikes.

The LTFRB is also set to resolve the separate fare hike petitions filed by operators of tourist taxis and provincial buses, mostly plying routes in Southern Luzon.