THE Confederation of Truckers Association of the Philippines (CTAP) will jack up trucking rates if higher toll fees at two major expressways are implemented as scheduled.
CTAP whose members control more than 4,000 trucks, will seek to delay, if not shelve, toll fee increases at the South Luzon Expressway (SLEx) and the Southern Tagalog Arterial Road (STAR), CTAP president Ruperto Bayucot told PortCalls.
The increase will make an already bad situation worse, Bayucot said, considering the cost of fuel is on the rise again and cargo volumes remain erratic.
By July 7, SLEx operator South Luzon Tollway Corp will enforce a 250% hike in toll fees from Alabang to Calamba. The new rate for Class 1 or light vehicles will be P77 from P22; Class 2 vehicles, P155 from P43; and Class 3 (heavy vehicles), P232 from P65.
The STAR Tollway, which starts in Sto. Tomas, Batangas and connects several major towns to the Batangas Port, is scheduled to implement the toll fee increase on July 10, 2010. Class 1 vehicles will be charged P60 from the current P55; Class 2, P120 from P109; and heavy vehicles, P179 from P164.
Aside from truckers, bus operators plan to question the hike at the Supreme Court.
