TO have or not to have taxis in the province, that is the question.
To some, and most specifically Lipa City Mayor Eric Africa, the timing of the Land Transportation and Franchising Board-Calabarzon implementation of the said transport program in Calabarzon and in his city is somewhat out of line, a wrong one amid the pandemic.
The premise of Africa’s argument is, for instance in his city, it may aggravate the worsening daily cases of the coronavirus even as it may also further erode the already dwindling income of jeepney drivers and operators and so with tricycle operators and drivers.
Asked about his daily take now and before the pandemic, a certain trike driver who requested anonymity grumbled about dwindling income nowadays, saying he would be lucky enough to have a P500 net income these days.
And yes, how much more if there are already taxis plying their routes.
The initial plan is to deploy 100 units of taxis in major cities like Lipa and this is the worry of traffic enforcers as they could worsen traffic flow especially during rush hours.
“Sa gitna ng pandemya at pagsirit ng mga kaso ng Covid, sa tingin ko hindi maganda ang timing ng pagkakaroon ng taxi sa lungsod ko o sa kahit saang lugar pa ng Batangas. Kung ito’y ipapatupad ngayong panahon ng pandemya, malamang na ito’y maging instant super spreader ng coronavirus o Covid-19.”
Those were the exact words of Mayor Africa.
To some people on the street, however, having an alternative mode of transportation like taxis in the province might be a good idea as commuters will now have an alternative mode of transportation getting from A to point B.
Also, a taxi might actually be a safer choice compared to jeepneys or tricycles as far as getting infected with the virus (Covid-19) is concerned.
Unless Mamang Tsuper has it already inside his taxi, a taxi kind of commute could be a better transport for any commuter because social distancing for one is ultimately observed compared to the scene inside a jeepney.
And when it's raining, a trike ride may not also be a good option for commuters.
LTFRB-Calabarzon legal division chief Atty. Winnie Fred Ola said in an interview the implementation of taxi cabs in the region has long been under study by his department.
And yes, the main reason for this is for the people to have more transport options.