Isabela 6th District Rep. Inno Dy wants students to be granted 20-percent fare discounts when they buy their tickets or reload their Beep cards online.
The lawmaker sought to amend Section 5 of Republic Act No. 11314, which mandates the grant of student fare discounts in public transportation, through the filing of House Bill (HB) No. 1142 or the "Student Fare Discount Act of 2022."
The current version of the law requires students to present their school identification cards in person when they purchase tickets or reload their Beep cards, which makes it unable for them to avail of the same benefit when they purchase tickets online.
"This is an exception that doesn't make sense, and disincentivizes the use of technology when in fact, we must push for its more widespread adoption," Dy said amid the nationwide fare hike that took effect on Oct. 3.
"Sa kabila ng pagtaas ng pamasahe, kailangan masiguro natin na napapakinabangan ang mga (Amid the fare hike, we need to make sure that our students can benefit from the) discount sa lahat ng pagkakataon (all the time). This is why mandated discounts should also be applied to tickets that are bought online," the lawmaker added.
If passed, the amendment would still require students to present their ID cards or current valid enrollment form upon the purchase of tickets online.
The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) approved a P1 provisional increase in the minimum fare for the first four kilometers of travel in public utility jeepneys (PUJs), which hiked the minimum fare for traditional PUJ up to P12, and the modern PUJ up to P14.
It also approved the increase in minimum fare for city buses by P2 for the first five kilometers — P13 for the regular buses, and P15 for the air-conditioned buses. For provincial buses, the minimum fare rose by P2.
For taxes, the flag-down rate increased to P45, and P40 in the Cordillera Administrative Region.