MANILA — Inanunsyo ng Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) na magkakaroon ng temporary adjustment sa surge pricing ng TNVS ngayong holiday season upang maibsan ang pasanin ng mga commuters.

Batay sa Memorandum Circular 2025-056, ipatutupad ang pagbabawas ng surge computation mula Disyembre 17, 2025 hanggang Enero 4, 2026. Ayon kay LTFRB Chairperson Atty. Vigor Mendoza II, “We heard the complaints, and we also feel the sentiments raised by those in the TNVS sector; that is why we immediately acted on this in response to the instruction of President Marcos and Secretary Lopez to come up with the guidelines on the computation of TNVS fares.”

Sa ilalim ng bagong panuntunan, ang surge pricing ay hindi na maaaring lumampas sa sum ng per-kilometer rate at per-minute travel time, na layong gawing mas abot-kaya ang pamasahe sa mga pasahero.

Gayunman, umalma ang ilang TNVS driver groups. Ayon sa TNVS Community Philippines, ang biglaang pagbabawas ng surge ay maaaring magdulot ng pagbagsak ng kita ng mga tsuper at operator. 

“Surge pricing reflects the real conditions of transport operations, including traffic, pick-up distances and rising operating costs. The sudden reduction in surges may threaten drivers’ earnings, especially amid high demand,” pahayag ng kanilang tagapagsalita na si Lisza Redulla.

Naglabas din ng pahayag ang Grab Philippines, na nagsabing iginagalang nila ang desisyon ng pamahalaan ngunit nagbabala na maaaring maapektuhan ang availability ng rides. 

“Grab has always been a partner of the government, and we share its commitment to easing the daily burdens of our kababayan. It is in this spirit that we respect and accept the recent DOTr–LTFRB decision to temporarily reduce surge prices by 50%. However, this may hurt drivers and weaken ride availability during the Christmas rush,” ayon sa kumpanya.

Samantala, tiniyak ng LTFRB na ang hakbang ay pansamantala lamang at bahagi ng mas malawak na pagsusuri sa pamasahe ng TNVS. Layunin nitong balansehin ang interes ng mga pasahero at ng mga driver sa gitna ng mataas na demand ngayong kapaskuhan.