Ferries to raise fares for Iloilo-Bacolod trips

By Joseph B.A. Marzan

 

The director of the Maritime Industry Authority-Region 6 (MARINA-6) said Tuesday that one of the fast craft companies plying the Iloilo-Bacolod route will hike fares due to low ridership amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

Travel between the two cities had been suspended for months due to the high number of COVID-19 cases in both cities, before finally resuming roundtrips on Oct. 31.

Prior to the resumption, MARINA-6 led a meeting which included ferry operators and local government officials.

The meeting provided for the date of the resumption of trips, subject to minimum public health standards such as wearing of face masks and face shields, social distancing of at least one seat apart, and checking of temperature using non-contact thermal scanners.

An agreement was also reached with the operators allowing them to increase their fares by as much as P100.

Operators would not need to seek approval from the MARINA, but rather to provide them notice through written letter and posting of public notice announcements in the terminals, both at least 10 days before the increase would take effect, according to MARINA-6 Regional Director Jose Venancio Vero in an interview with Aksyon Radyo Iloilo.

Vero did not state any reason as to the increase, but it can be inferred that this was due to the low turnout of passengers since the resumption of travel.

On Nov. 1, All Saints’ Day, only 84 travelled from Iloilo to Bacolod, while only 63 returned from Bacolod to Iloilo, according to data by MARINA-6.

The low turnout points to a directive by the national government to prohibit entry into cemeteries and memorial parks from Oct. 29 to Nov. 4 due to COVID-19.

“They have to submit proof that they have posted in the ferries and the terminals and the date when they posted, so we would know when it would take effect,” Vero said in a radio interview.

Only one company so far, Weesam Express, expressed their intention to raise their fares by P100.00, said Vero.

He added that the other two companies, OceanJet and SuperCat, have not provided any notice to MARINA-6 regarding fare increase.

SuperCat published its fares on social media on Tuesday, without any indication of a fare increase.

Gene Lastimado, Operations Manager of OceanJet, also said last Saturday that they do not have any intention to increase their fares.