Cabbie rage

Unpleasant, indeed scary, incidents involving cabbies in the metro have been all over the news, and it’s partly because they can now be reported on social media. The cabbies recorded range from arrogant to foul-mouthed to violent, with one incident even involving—horrors—a samurai sword. What in blazes is going on?

Generally speaking, Filipino taxi drivers don’t enjoy the best of reputations; precious are those who are polite, skilled, honest, and do not behave as though the maddening traffic were the passenger’s fault. Picky cabbies are a constant bugbear, so much so that the Land Transportation Regulatory and Franchising Board was moved to set up an entire operation to address the problem, cutely dubbed “Oplan Isnabero.” Many a tourist has been literally taken for a ride by the truly unscrupulous. Worst are those cabbies who, whether on their own or in cahoots with others, transform into holdup men in the dead of night.

Recently, the LTFRB summoned taxi driver Rolando Camara on the strength of an online posting by a passenger who said the cabbie had demanded P50 on top of the metered fare, drove a circuitous route to pad the amount, and kept loudly complaining and mouthing offensive things to her and her two young nieces. Before then, the LTFRB summoned another cabbie, Roger Catipay, who had been recorded cursing and threatening a passenger in a video that later went viral. There are many incidents like these, some reported but a vast number not, despite the continuing call of the transport agency to the riding public to file complaints against abusive cabbies.

The most bizarre instance involved a seaman and taxi driver Manuel Publico. Per the seaman’s account, he flagged down the taxi in Cubao, Quezon City, but after a disagreement, Publico stopped the cab and ordered him and his 10-year-old son to get out. Publico then took out a samurai sword and tried to strike the seaman. After suffering lacerations to his hand, the seaman and his son managed to get out; when Publico tried to go after them, bystanders intervened.

Speaking to the press, LTFRB board member Antonio Inton Jr. said the incident was “alarming in the sense that illegal acts are no longer about overcharging or refusal to convey passengers. Now we’re talking about more violent acts such as attempted homicide. In other words, there are some drivers out there who are willing and ready to injure, and worse, kill their passengers.”

To be fair, taxi drivers don’t exactly have it easy, and those who return cash and valuables left by passengers in their cabs are admirable. They are bound by a “boundary” system that requires them to make and set aside a certain amount for their employer before they can begin to see to their take-home pay. Sometimes they make the boundary, sometimes not. And their workday (12 hours minimum, 24 hours max) can conceivably drive the most mild-mannered berserk. But these cannot be an excuse to mulct or be murderous.

The recent rash of cabbie rage has led to some action. The House of Representatives’ committee on transportation has approved the “Bill of Rights of Taxi Passengers,” which requires drivers to be courteous, to be free of alcohol or drugs, to choose only safe and economical routes (or routes selected by the passenger), to ask only for the metered fare and provide a receipt, among others. Violators will be penalized through fines of up to P5,000 and suspension of license up to one year.

The welfare of taxi drivers has not entirely been forgotten. The LTFRB’s Inton has called for a review of the boundary system, explaining that it may be driving cabbies into larcenous and potentially dangerous behavior.

Indeed, it’s time to rethink the taxi driver in the age of Uber and social media. Perhaps things will improve in a system mandating regular pay, along with rigorous screening and registration. Time to get cracking at the LTFRB—and don’t get us started on the sundry other problems that are piled up on its plate.

It would seem that the streets have now become truly dangerous terrain, with wild-eyed cabbies making the rounds and constantly on the verge of a breakdown. A rigorous examination of the system and corresponding action are in order. The riding public deserves better.