Jeepney Driver Left with P56 After a Day-Long Work as Diesel Prices Rise
Amid the continuous rise in fuel prices, many jeepney drivers are gradually giving up because their daily earnings are no longer enough to cover their basic needs.
Some drivers spend the entire day on the road but still bring home almost nothing. In one case, a driver spent around P1,200 on diesel yet ended up earning only P56 after paying the boundary, which is the fee given to the vehicle’s owner. This amount is not even enough to buy essential items like rice. “Ang diesel ko kahapon P1,200 maghapon tapos ang kinita ko ‘yung sumobra, P56 pesos kasama na barya. Tapos nagboundary lang ako,” Medina said.
Aside from the high cost of diesel, which has exceeded P100 per liter, the number of passengers has also decreased due to work-from-home arrangements adopted by some companies. Because of this, some drivers have chosen to temporarily stop operating and instead wait for special or commissioned trips. Due to financial difficulties, others are forced to borrow money from informal lenders who charge high interest, making their situation even harder. “P1,000 araw-araw nakakaraos ka. Okay na yun kesa wala sa ngayon nagshoshort ka,” he said.
Meanwhile, some drivers continue working despite earning only around P100 to P150 a day. This small amount often goes only toward food and basic expenses and is still not enough to fully pay their boundary. As a result, they sometimes ask their operators to treat the remaining balance as a loan.
On the other hand, some drivers believe that government programs, such as free ride initiatives that provide a fixed income of around P1,000 per day, are more helpful than regular operations. The government is also distributing financial assistance to drivers, although opinions vary on whether these efforts are enough to ease their struggles.
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