Earlier this month, when ridesharing firm Grab filed a petition before the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) demanding fare hikes, Uber communications head Catherine Avelino said they would not be taking similar action and were instead going to wait and see the impact of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) Law.

As of Thursday, Uber has followed Grab’s lead and filed the same petition before the LTFRB, saying higher fuel costs associated with the TRAIN Law are “costs that driver partners have to bear to maintain their vehicles.”

In the earlier petition, Grab sought to increase fares from P10 to P14 per kilometer to P11 to P15 per kilometer, along with increasing the P2 per minute charge to P2.10 per minute. Uber is requesting the same updates.

Around the same time as the Grab petition, the LTFRB responded to a fare hike request from the Philippine National Taxi Operators’ Association (PNTOA), saying the group needed to provide more reasons to justify their cause.

“They need to justify why the board should grant a fare increase and what services will be delivered,” explained LTFRB Board Member Aileen Lizada./PLL, WDJ