Bus travel may soon become scarce.
Provincial and city bus operators issued a joint public statement urgently appealing to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Congress, and transport regulators to immediately lift the suspension on the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board’s (LTFRB) March 14, 2026 fare adjustment order.
The appeal was signed by the Provincial Bus Operators Association of the Philippines, Nagkakaisang Samahan ng Nangangasiwa ng Panlalawigang Bus sa Pilipinas, Inc. (NSNP-BPI), Southern Luzon Bus Operator Association (SOLUBOA), and the Mega Manila Consortium Corporation stating operations may cease not because companies will go on strike, but because service may soon become financially impossible.
The statement said “Operations are nearing a breaking point. Fuel now consumes 45% to 60% of daily operating costs, leaving companies unable to absorb market surges under strictly regulated fares. Unlike airline and maritime operators, land transport firms cannot independently impose fuel surcharges. The financial strain is compounded by uncreditable Value Added Tax (VAT) on fuel due to VAT-exempt passenger fares alongside modernization loan amortization, maintenance, toll fees, and impending wage increases.”
Operators warned that insolvency would lead to fewer trips, longer wait times, lost regional connectivity, and job losses for thousands of transport workers.
The statement continued “We understand that fare adjustments affect commuters. But keeping fares artificially below the actual cost of service does not protect the public in the long term. It merely delays the crisis until operators can no longer deploy enough safe and roadworthy buses.”
The provincial and city bus industries remain ready to serve. But public service must also be allowed to survive
The group of transport leaders said “’We modernized our bus units, and services because the Government required us to modernize. We borrowed because compliance required capital. We continue to operate because our franchises carry a public responsibility. Now, Government must fulfill its corresponding responsibility: to ensure that the public transport system it regulates remains financially capable of serving the Filipino people. We do not ask for charity. We ask for urgent action. We ask for a fair and sustainable fare. Act now, before more buses can no longer leave their terminals.”
Last week, Victory Liner has cut provincial bus travels by consolidating trips and temporarily dismantling online bookings, in a bid to hurdle operating cost. Maria Elena Catajan
