Transport group seeks fuel aid from government

By Dolly Yasa

BACOLOD City – The United Negros Drivers and Operators Center (UNDOC) is asking the government to temporarily subsidize the fuel needs of the local transport sector to help them recover after more than a month of inactivity brought about by the enhanced community quarantine.

UNDOC Secretary-general Diego Malacad, said he was hoping the government will give them at least five liters of free fuel.

Malacad said fuel subsidy is also needed, especially that the number of passengers they are allowed to ferry is limited due to physical distancing rules to avoid the spread of COVID-19.

Government, drivers, and transport operators must work with one another in order to slowly get everything back to normal, he added.

Malacad also asked for understanding of the public if they ask for additional fare as their income is affected by health and safety rules amid the pandemic.

Earlier, the National Inter-Agency Task Force allowed the resumption of mass transportation in areas placed under general community quarantine.

However transport operators were told to accommodate only 50 percent of a vehicle’s passenger capacity and practice social distancing as a preventive measure against COVID-19.