A TOTAL of 314 public utility jeepneys (PUJs) and taxis were seized by the Bacolod Traffic Authority Office (BTAO) for operating without business permits.
BTAO Head Luisito Acebuche said the drivers were arrested along Rizal-Lacson Streets and La Salle Avenue on Tuesday and Wednesday.
The drivers were fined P350 each for operating without city sticker and body number. Their driver’s licenses were also confiscated.
Acebuche said of the 5,000 PUJs and taxis in Bacolod, only 2,492 had secured a business permit.
Bacolod has a total of 3,700 registered PUJs and 1,300 registered taxis.
Acebuche said City Ordinance 43 Series of 61 states that all jeepney and taxi operators should secure a business permit and body number.
“We are intensifying our operation to arrest the erring operators and drivers especially the Grab car owners who are operating without business permit,” Acebuche said.
He added that they were informed that Grab car operators in Bacolod failed to secure business permits from the Permits and Licensing Division and the BTAO.
Grab is Southeast Asia’s leading ride-hailing platform, offering a wide range of services through one mobile application, Acebuche said they are facing difficulty in determining Grab cars because they are using different plate numbers.
“They are operating without business permit and it’s unfair to the taxi operators who are legally operating here,” he said.
He added that the erring operators were directed to secure a business permit to continue their operations.
