Ferry company nixes fare hike, suspension amid low ridership

By Joseph B.A. Marzan

 

A ferry company plying the Iloilo City-Bacolod City route on Saturday said that it will not raise its fares nor suspend its operations amid the low turnout of passengers due to the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

Prior to the resumption of trips between the two cities, the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA-6) regional office, ferry operators, and local government units met to set their rules and regulations on the resumption of sea trips.

They agreed that each of the three fast craft companies can have one round trip per day provided they follow minimum health standards such as wearing of face masks and face shields, and observance of social distancing of one-seat between passengers.

The only requirement is the presentation of a government-issued identification document (ID) that states the person’s address in either Iloilo City or Bacolod City.

Operators also reserve the right to prohibit boarding of persons who would show high temperatures on their non-contact thermal scanners.

Gene Lastimado, Operations Manager of Ocean Jet, one of the companies operating on the Iloilo City-Bacolod route, told Aksyon Radyo Iloilo on Saturday that they were able to reach almost the 50 percent capacity in one trip at one instance since the resumption of sea voyages.

The 50 percent capacity is part of the national government’s direction in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, implementing social distancing protocols on public transportation.

OceanJet’s allowed capacity under the rules is 178 seats, but Lastimado said that this may be increased by up to one row upon request should the demand arise.

He said that their biggest operating cost is fuel consumption.

He added that they would not cut the salaries of their employees despite these losses, as long as they can meet the breakeven point of their fuel costs.

“In our case, if we can break even the fuel cost that we have, if it’s sufficient enough, we can sustain for the salary of our employees. That is why we are very much eager to resume the operation despite the fact that we are at a loss. For us, it is not a problem because business is really like that, off and on,” Lastimado said.

Lastimado added that they would not suspend their operations just because of the low number of passengers.

He compared the water transportation business to “courting a lady” in “making necessary sacrifices.

“So far, as part of our company’s thrust, we will not suspend our operations just because of the number of passengers. As long as we still have the funds to sustain, then we have to continue, because this kind of business is just like courting a lady. It is not necessary that you only have to operate because you are gaining. You have to make sacrifices,” he added.

While the MARINA-6 had allowed the operators to raise their fares upon request, the OceanJet management decided not to pursue such raises due to the continuing economic situation brought about by the pandemic.

“There was an agreement during the meeting that we have to increase the rate by 100 across the board, but the top management of OceanJet, upon our discussion, finds it not favorable, taking into consideration that everybody is facing this pandemic. Most likely, many people will not have any jobs. If we are to be increasing our fare at this time, it seems that we are just adding insult to injuries being felt by our fellow Filipinos, the riding public in general,” he said.

Trips between the two cities were resumed last Oct. 31, 2020, after months of suspension due to the high number of cases between the two cities.

These trips, however, have felt a slight but significant slump during the holidays from Oct. 29 to Nov. 2, when local governments prohibited visits to cemeteries up to Nov. 4.

The local governments’ orders were based on directives from the national government.

According to data from MARINA-6 on Nov 1, only 84 travelled from Iloilo to Bacolod, while only 63 boarded the return trip.