Fare Hike, Discount Loss Will Force Students Out of School

The fare hike and the student discount removal will force many students to cut short on their daily travel and may further discourage students from continuing their studies.

By Carl Marc Ramota
Bulatlat

More reasons are barring students to go school. Amid looming tuition and miscellaneous fee hikes this June, public utility jeepneys and buses will increase their minimum fare by P2 starting May 26. Worse, the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) will also revoke student fare discounts during weekends, holidays and school breaks.

The impending fare hike and discount removal will add at least P113.60 in students' monthly transportation expenses.

An ordinary student will shell out a minimum P90 per week for a short round trip during weekdays once the fare hike is implemented. The minimum student fare, which enjoys a 20 percent discount, will swell by P1.50 from its present P4.40 discounted rate.

At present, a student spends at least P246.40 per month for transportation, based on the P4.40 discounted rate.

Unbearable

Raymond Palatino, Anak ng Bayan (nation’s youth) vice president, criticized LTFRB's decision to increase fare by P2, saying a fare hike amid rising cost of education and other basic services is unbearable for ordinary students and their parents.

He also chided the transportation board for its "lack of careful research and consultation from affected sectors," pertaining to its pronouncement lifting student discounts during holidays, weekends and vacation period.

"The LTFRB should have consulted student groups before making the decision,” Palatino said. “This move to lift student discount is burdensome to ordinary students who have no other source of income other than their daily or weekly allowances. Besides, there are still classes on Saturdays and during summer and other school functions during the weekend."

Consequently, students who have classes during weekends and those who are attending summer classes will now have to pay the P7.50 minimum fare. This means that a student will at least spend P30 for a back-and-forth, short route during weekends.

"This doesn't even include the transportation expenses for students who regularly go home to their provinces during the weekends. With the removal of student discounts on weekends, they will also be paying the higher fare rate," he said.

Furthermore, Palatino said that the "inevitable" increase in MRT and LRT fare sometime this year poses yet another financial burden for students.

An ordinary student will now have to shoulder a minimum of P360 in transportation expenses alone every month. Currently, a student spends a minimum of P246.40 every month at current fare rates.

Another obstacle

Palatino also warned that the fare hike and the student discount removal will force majority of students to cut short on their daily travel and may further discourage students from continuing their studies. "We can't blame students if they will lose interest in studying if, in the first place, they literally can't afford to go to school. Maglalakad na lang kami! (We'll just walk.)"

The Anak ng Bayan leader also said the fare hike is another maneuver by government to pacify transport groups and divert the public's anger from incessant oil price increases. "A fare hike can be easily negated by weekly increases in pump prices. What happened with the body they formed to review the oil deregulation law? The government is giving small concessions to protect the long-term interests of big oil companies," he pointed out. Bulatlat 

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