OIL SPIKES PUSH TRANSPORT INTO ‘A DEADLY SPIRAL’
THE continuous oil price hike has brought the transport sector into “a deadly spiral,” according to the Move as One Coalition, and the incoming administration may be able to prevent a so-called “transport inflation” through a 10-point agenda.
The transport sector, according to the coalition, is seeing a “collapsing “supply” due to the unsustainable spikes in oil prices. Commuters are at the losing end of the game, as they are forced to queue for long periods, only to ride crowded, enclosed vehicles that brings extreme discomfort and risk of Covid infections.
“The only sustainable way to address the sharp rise in transport prices and lower pressure on fare hikes is for the government to wean our economy’s dependence on oil,” the policy paper read.
It added that the government must manage transport demand by investing in infrastructure to help people shift to walking and cycling. The coalition also advised the government to increase transport supply by properly implementing service contracting to expand public transport supply.
The government, it added, must also decisively give strategic social support to our public transport sector, which has not yet recovered from the pandemic.
Move as One provided a 10-point agenda that the government may use as a template to implement the three overarching solutions to the transport inflation.
active transport
THE coalition said economic managers should prioritize active transport and road-based public transport options. This, according to the group, is the “fastest, most-effective, and the only sustainable way” to fight transport inflation.
To supplement this, the coalition advised the government to tap resources in the 2022 General Appropriations
Act to rapidly expand the network of protected bike lanes and safe and accessible pathways.
Economic managers were also urged to encourage local government units to apply for the P10.6-billion local government support fund to install protected bike lanes, develop pedestrian infrastructure as well as open spaces and public parks.
Move as One likewise recommended the provision of incentives to companies that encourage remote work arrangements “to relieve the pressure on collapsing public transport supply.”
Aside from this, the coalition is also
asking the Department of Transportation (DOTR) and the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) to allow all public utility vehicle units to operate and authorize more vehicles on routes where operators have consolidated.
The two agencies must also authorize more vehicles on routes where operators are consolidated or committed to working under common leet management arrangements.
Another point in the agenda, and possibly a very controversial one, is the removal of the “flawed free ride program,” while expanding the number of public transport units. The government, Move as One said, should “adopt a proper service contracting program and speed up its implementation.”
“A genuine service contracting program, as legislated under the 2022 budget, includes the following provisions: greater involvement of local government units in collecting fares, micro-financing, and co-implementing the program; and the set-up of the multisectoral governance committee where civil society organizations can directly participate and give real-time feedback to ensure the program is used to improve service levels for commuters and minimum public health standard compliance to prevent the spread of Covid-19,” the policy paper read.
The government could also arrest the transport inflation by instituting exclusive lanes for public utility vehicles or giving them set hours to the exclusive use of such lanes.
“The government can implement these Puv-only lanes today because the Department of Transportation has a special provision under the 2022 budget which requires 50 percent of road space to be allocated for walking, cycling, and public transport. With reduced motor vehicle use due to high fuel prices, the time is ripe for transforming road space for cars into space for the most efficient and sustainable travel modes,” the policy paper read.
Furthermore, Move as One urged the government to give “urgent social support for transport workers hit hard by the oil crisis and the pandemic.” This includes tricycle drivers and operators, whose livelihood has also been disrupted by the skyrocketing prices of fuel.
Lastly, the government would do well to understand that the Philippines is still reeling from a pandemic and that all public transport modes should follow standards to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
“We look forward to working with the incoming economic team in our shared interest to fight transport inflation and to provide an equitable recovery for commuters, transport workers, and citizens, from Covid-19 and the oil crisis,” Move as One said.