Up to 5,400 taxi units in Davao region are expected to be calibrated within a month after the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) approved to raise the flag-down rate to P50.

The calibration is set to be finished within a month compared to the previous calibration, which took three months.

Since last year, a P5 provisional increase in the P40 flag-down rate was implemented but taxi meters were not calibrated, which was why taxi drivers could not adopt the P45 flag-down rate.

“Last year, P40 plus P5… ang ubang pasahero di mohatag og P5 kay wala naka-reflect sa metro but, this time, mo-reflect na,” LTFRB-11 Administrative Officer IV, Engr. Marie Jean Jaralba, said.

Recently, LTFRB decided on the petition of a group of taxi drivers to add P5 to the flag-down rate, which raised it to P50.

LTFRB-11 Director, Nonito Llanos III, clarified that only the flag-down rate has increased and the rates for the succeeding kilometer and waiting time are still the same.

The rate for the succeeding kilometer is still P13.50 while the rate for waiting time is P2 per minute.

LTFRB-11 added that taxi operators should have their units calibrated first before asking the P5 increase in the flag-down rate from passengers.

LTFRB said operators should pay for the calibration.

“Per unit increase of rate meron 510 pesos per case lang, pag daghan siya og unit 510 lang ang bayaran except for individual ang testing 500 per unit gyud na siya,” Jaralba added.

Around 500 taxi units in the region have been calibrated, as of this writing.