THE Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) held a dialogue on Wednesday with representatives from 19 ride-hailing platforms operating in the Philippines to discuss fare discounts for the elderly, persons with disabilities (PWDs) and students.
Strict compliance with government-mandated fare discounts for senior citizens, PWDs and students was the main focus of the dialogue.
Reports of violations of the Expanded Senior Citizens Act and the Magna Carta for Disabled Persons prompted the LTFRB to initiate the dialogue.
Both laws mandate a 20-percent fare discount for seniors and PWDs.
Similar issues have been reported concerning the required fare discounts for students, raising concerns over inclusivity and accessibility.
During the meeting, Grab Philippines outlined its efforts to comply with these mandates.
The company emphasized the features embedded in its app to ensure discounts are readily accessible to eligible passengers.
Similarly, inDrive, a Russian-founded ride-hailing service that resumed operations in the country in June 2024, shared updates on its compliance measures.
The platform announced that it started implementing discounts for qualified passengers on Dec. 18, 2024.
Meanwhile, the Coalition of Filipino Commuters (CFC) called on the LTFRB to enforce a standardized implementation of fare discounts across all ride-hailing platforms.
In its statement, the group highlighted the critical role these discounts play in fostering accessibility and inclusivity, particularly for vulnerable sectors of society.
LTFRB Chairman Teofilo Guadiz III underscored the legal obligations of public utility vehicle (PUV) and Transport Network Vehicle Service (TNVS) operators.
He warned that failure to honor the mandated discounts constitutes a violation of the law and disrespects the rights of commuters.
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