(Photo: Uber/Facebook)
Senator Risa Hontiveros on Wednesday said that the Land Transportation and Franchising Regulatory Board (LTFRB) should review its suspension order on Uber that halted its operations and stop the ‘selective crackdown just to prove a point’.
Hontiveros finds the suspension “unfair” for the public.
“Commuters are taking the brunt of this punishment, which is unfair,” Hontiveros told LTFRB in a Senate meeting.
The commuters have raised their concerns on social media on how Uber’s suspension would make their everyday ride inconvenient.
Hontiveros said that the decision seems like a 30-day-challenge for the commuters. She added the suspension left the commuters with no alternatives.
“This blanket suspension is cruel to those who are left with no alternatives and left to be preyed upon by abusive taxi drivers.” she said.
Health impact
As the Vice-Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Health, Hontiveros cited the negative health impact of traffic congestion to the public.
The senator explained, “Spending hours stuck in traffic carries a number of negative health consequences. The exposure to fumes can contribute to cancer, other respiratory ailments and even heart disease.”
“Stress also contributes to adverse mental and physical health,” Hontiveros said. “Getting to work or school need not be a scene from the Hunger Games. Our people deserve better.”