IN RESPONSE to student complaints regarding the tricycle fare system on campus, the Sanggunian Committee on Administrative Services (CAS) will be working with the Facilities Management Office (FMO) to resolve the issue.

Sanggunian CAS Chairperson Marc Duque said the complaints are mostly about tricycle drivers who do not follow the tricycle fare system.

He said that the Sanggunian has been receiving complaints of a similar nature for the past few years.

Duque said that the CAS will be routinely meeting with the FMO to assess the fare regulation problems before they come up with, and eventually impose, effective solutions.

Duque assured that their agenda will not only focus on the fare system, but on the conduct of tricycle drivers who are allowed to carry passengers to and from the Ateneo campus as well.

Fare matrix

In an email interview with The GUIDON, FMO Traffic and Security Head Josephy Almosera said that the fare matrix being imposed on campus is based on the government mandated standard on tricycle fare rates.

He said that an agreement on the rates was made three years ago by the FMO, the Office of the Associate Dean for Student Affairs, the Office of Administrative Services, the Sanggunian and the officials of the Tricycle Operators and Drivers’ Association (TODA).

Almosera said that the rate for travel within campus is P18 while the rate for travel from the campus going outside and vice versa is fixed at P25.50.

According to political science senior Ace Dela Cruz, however, it seems that there is no longer a clear agreement in determining the correct tricycle fare rates on campus.

“Before, from Loyola Heights to any point to Ateneo, the fare being asked is only P22 for students; but now, they ask P25, regardless of [location],” Dela Cruz said in a mix of English and Filipino.

Dela Cruz also pointed out that most tricycles do not have the fare matrix displayed.

“[The Ateneo has] a significant number of public commuters, so it would be nice for [the Sanggunian] to update us and continue negotiations with the TODA here in Loyola Heights,” he added.

Almosera said that the FMO will be meeting with the TODA official to reassess the current rates. “Due to the one-way traffic scheme, there is a need to revisit the matrix.”

The one-way traffic scheme is a reconfiguration of routes aimed to facilitate smoother vehicular flow on campus. It was made effective starting last February 11, 2013.

Aside from concerns on the fare system, Duque said that the CAS has also been receiving complaints regarding the unsafe driving habits of some drivers and their refusal to bring passengers.

Dela Cruz noted that most tricycle drivers refuse to convey passengers going to the Ateneo from 7:00 to 8:00 AM and from 12:00 to 1:00 PM because these are the times of the day when traffic builds up along Katipunan Avenue.

As for management-honors sophomore Kim Maris, she said that some tricycle drivers would refuse to bring her from her dormitory outside of the Ateneo to the campus.

“Sinasabi [ng mga tricycle drivers] na ‘Ay, wala po akong [Ateneo] sticker eh,’ but then makikita mo na may sticker naman sa harap (The tricycle drivers would say, ‘I don’t have an Ateneo sticker,’ but then you can see that they do have one),” she said.

Only the tricycles with Ateneo stickers are allowed to go inside the campus.

Maris said that some tricycle drivers are often “honest” with their refusals, and they would cite the heavy traffic along Katipunan Avenue as their reason for not bringing passengers inside the Ateneo.

The GUIDON tried to get statements from some of the tricycle drivers waiting for passengers inside the campus but they refused to comment.

Constant vigilance

Almosera urges Ateneans to report cases when tricycle drivers do not comply with the fare matrix or show any form of misconduct to the FMO.

According to him, they can send their complaints to the FMO email address, comcen@ateneo.edu, with the following details: Date and time of the incident, body number and color of the sidecar, and nature of complaint.

Almosera said that the details will help them act accordingly, as they want to observe due process before imposing any sanctions.

If caught, the tricycle driver and his or her unit will be prohibited from entering the campus for one week; three violations will result to a one-year suspension.