PUBLIC utility jeepney (PUJ) drivers who joined the Manila government’s free ride program will receive an additional P500 in daily cash assistance, on top of the P3,000 daily minimum subsidy given by the city government, Mayor Isko Moreno said Tuesday.
Speaking at a Facebook live broadcast, Moreno said the increase was due to the P661,000 in savings generated from the program's first day of operations on Monday.
He said that rather than the money being returned to the city, it will be redistributed directly to drivers.
He added that this increase in assistance aims to help drivers cope with rising fuel costs, as diesel prices have gone up by P11 to P12 per liter.
"Instead of putting that back in the government, we will give it to you instead, in response to the increase in crude oil prices yesterday and in the coming days," he said in Filipino.
“To our drivers, I will increase your daily wage by P500 so that the P12 increase in the price of crude oil yesterday will be offset today and in the days to come," he added.
The increased subsidy of P3,500 will apply for the remaining days of the program —Tuesday, March 31, and the following Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday after Holy Week, which marks the end of the free ride program.
Moreno further revealed that on the first day of the program, 129,665 passengers were served, with 1,038 jeepneys participating across the city's six districts.