Regulate Oil Prices To Mitigate People’s Hardships – Jeepney Drivers

Regulate Oil Prices To Mitigate People’s Hardships – Jeepney Drivers

 Jeepney drivers say oil price increases and fare hikes worsen the conditions of drivers even more because they are also affected by spikes in prices of basic commodities resulting from these increases.
By ANNE MARXZE D. UMIL
Bulatlat.com
MANILA – “The meager one peso ($.02) fare increase did not help. It only goes to oil companies,” said Geniano Sotera, 54, a jeepney driver for 33 years.

Plying the route from Alabang to Muntinlupa City proper, Sotera is on the road as early as 5 a.m. and would go home at 6 p.m. His take home income, however, is not enough to buy a decent meal for his wife and two children.

Sotera earns $4.6 to $6.9 a day. The biggest chunk that is being taken from his daily earnings is spent on diesel amounting to $20.93. The current pump price of diesel is P46.65 or $ 1.04 per liter. His boundary, or the amount he remits to the jeepney operator, is $11.62. He also has to allocate at least $3.48 for his breakfast, lunch and snacks. “When the diesel was only $0.51 to $0.69 and the fare is only $0.16, I only spent $13.95 for diesel,” Sotera recalled.

Sotera believes that another fare increase is not the solution to the problem. He said the price of oil products should be regulated. “We know that when the prices of oil products increase, the prices of basic commodities also increase and the poor gets poorer,” Sotera said..... MORE

Source:  Bulatlat.com

URL: http://bulatlat.com/main/2011/03/31/44520/