WE HAVE complained before about the practice of taxi operators putting the meter behind the stick shift, almost at the feet of the driver, where passengers could hardly see them.
If you are not quick enough, some taxi drivers, aware that you probably did not get a good view of the meter, will turn it off faster than you can say “Para mama,” and make up some amount.
It seems the complaints have not fallen on deaf ears. I have taken a few new taxicabs where the meter was almost on top of the dashboard, making it easy to keep track of how fast it is running.
Of course, the companies that have made this change have always been reliable to begin with. One such company is MGE.
What we hope to happen next is to have drivers’ IDs just as prominently displayed.
After all, taxi drivers have different shifts so even if a passenger is diligent enough to take note of the cab’s plate number or body number, he or she may be unable to identify the driver, unless the company keeps a close tab on its employees and knows exactly who is driving what and when.
Actually, it should be the policy of every public utility vehicle operator to require drivers to display their IDs where passengers can easily read them.
Maybe, since taxis will have to issue receipts soon, receipts can include the names of drivers in much the same way department stores and supermarkets put the name of cashiers on their receipts.
Feedback
Arbee John Acleta shares a scary experience he and his wife had with another motorist who obviously needs lessons in road courtesy.
He said they were on Edsa, with his wife driving, when a gray Innova tried to get into their lane, almost hitting their car and pushing it out of the way.
Acleta said the other driver apparently was trying to intimidate his wife when he realized that a woman was driving their car.
When they refused to yield their lane, the bully sped past them and sharply swerved in their direction, apparently trying to hit them and, in the process, almost hitting another vehicle.
“We thought it was over, (but) after a few minutes we saw him beside us and he drove so close to us, matching our speed and threatening to hit us,” Acleta said.
The other driver slowed down and sped up to match their speed, and only stopped his bullying when they had to make a turn.
Road bullies are just as common as unskilled drivers. And women drivers are particularly victimized by men who probably have shortcomings in other “departments” so they have to reassure themselves they are macho by scaring the wits out of women drivers.
Nick Lopez, who identifies himself as a daily bus commuter, wants the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board to look at other things, too, aside from drivers’ competence to drive a motor vehicle.
He mentions:
1. Overcrowding of buses especially in the morning that can cause serious injury to commuters who are packed like sardines
2. Bus drivers ply their routes despite the number coding.
3. Bus drivers and conductors get a percentage of gross income for the day, hence the fierce competition for passengers that not only cause gridlock on Edsa but, even more worrisome, serious accidents that result in injuries, even death.
Lopez says traffic officials are not doing anything to remedy the situation.
A commuter, who has to take the South Luzon Expressway every day to go to work, is the latest to complain about the worsening traffic situation on SLEX that is caused by the construction of the Skyway from Bicutan to Alabang.
She said, while “only the rich will be able to afford the Skyway, everyone is being ‘punished’...I am an employee and we do have office hours...almost every day I, plus hundreds of other residents, (are late for work)” resulting in salary deductions because of tardiness.
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