Piston said fuel prices and maintenance costs have become significantly higher than in October 2023, when current fares were set, widening the gap between operating expenses and daily earnings.
MANILA — Transport group Piston is seeking a P10 increase in the minimum public utility vehicle (PUV) fare as jeepney drivers and operators continue to suffer from economic losses due to what they described as inaction of the Ferdinand Marcos Jr. administration on the fuel crisis.
Pagkakaisa ng mga Samahan ng Tsuper at Operator Nationwide or Piston filed a petition before the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) on Monday, April 20. They call for a “reasonable, just, and equitable fare adjustment” to address the continued rise in jeepney operating costs.
The petition was filed days after Marcos Jr. announced a P23 per liter diesel rollback effective April 14, followed by another P24.94 per liter rollback set for April 21.
However, Piston said these reductions “do not” restore fare viability. Even after the rollbacks, diesel prices are projected to remain at around P98 per liter—nearly 50 percent higher than the P66.50 average in 2023, when current fares were last set.
The group added that in Metro Manila, diesel prices could still reach about P123.40 per liter, or 86 percent higher than the P66.40 per liter recorded when fares were last adjusted.
Last March, the Philippine Statistics Authority reported that rising transport costs pushed inflation to 4.1 percent, up from 2.4percent in February 2026.
According to the PSA, the increase was primarily driven by transport inflation, which surged from 0.3% to 9.9% amid the ongoing crisis in West Asia following attacks by the United States and Israel on Iran. The conflict led to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for about 20 percent of global oil supply.
Right now, fuel price rollbacks hinge on the fragile ceasefire between Iran and the United States that is expected to lapse in the coming days.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard announced that it would be closing the Strait of Hormuz again due to the violation of the ceasefire conditions as the US refuses to lift its naval blockade of Iranian vessels and ports.
Even Energy Secretary Sharon Garin has also acknowledged that the government cannot guarantee further rollbacks due to the volatility of the global oil market.
Long overdue
Piston said fuel prices and maintenance costs have become significantly higher than in October 2023, when current fares were set, widening the gap between operating expenses and daily earnings.
“(We) have repeatedly raised these concerns through consultations and dialogues with the LTFRB and other government agencies, the continuing delay in fare adjustment allowed economic losses to accumulate necessitating the present petition,” Piston said.
It added that existing fares no longer reflect actual economic conditions and fail to provide even a sustainable margin for basic daily expenses, much less a “modest and dignified income.”
The group also cited how the additional financial burden from regulatory and statutory requirements were significantly lower at the time the current authorized fare was last fixed by LTFRB.
“As a direct consequence, many drivers now work excessively long hours, often exceeding 12 to 16 hours per day, merely to reach their boundary and recover operational expenses,” stated Piston.
“Yet still end the day with net earnings that fall below minimum wage levels,” it added, noting that some drivers even incur debt just to continue operating.
“This petition is neither speculative nor opportunistic,” the group said. “It is grounded on actual, verifiable, and continuing economic hardships borne daily by thousands of jeepney drivers and small operators.”
Piston is set to hold another round of nationwide transport strike on April 21 as part of the broader “protestang bayan” condemning the government’s inaction to the fuel crisis and calling for urgent relief and long-term structural reforms. (AMU, RVO)
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