taxis go airconditioned in davao city

i certainly am against this new move.

my reasons are:

1. there would be mass layoff for taxi drivers whose operators own only non-airconditioned taxis.

2. operators would pass off "airconditioned" taxis when it feels more like they are taxis with heater systems, and in the process, the operators could get to charge more from the passengers.

3. there is a reason why non-airconditioned taxis have remained this long, they are cheaper. at these times, economy is more relevant than airconditioning. if you cannot pay for it, you simply cannot avail of its services even when our laws guarantee that indutries such as transportation are so imbued with public interest and because of that, people must be given equal access thereto and the operators are not to discriminate who to allow and disallow to avail of their services. of course, this is subject to certain exceptions which are still with a view to public safety.

4. there are some other ways of regulating the transportation industry. the cutting off of all the non-airconditioned taxis is not one of them. this is because, by cutting such taxis off, the public, who are supposed to have choices in this democratic society of ours are prejudiced. they do not have a choice anymore.

5. the best way to resolve this is to disallow the registration of taxi cabs which have been running for 15-20 years already and instead, require the operators to have taxis which are in good working condition. it also would not hurt if drivers are to be given some sort of seminars so as to better improve the quality of service that is being offered to the public.

certainly, this is not just a matter of regulation. this is also curtailment, not only on the part of the taxi operators but on the part of the public at large.

i vehemently and ardently oppose the contention that with airconditioned taxis in davao city, this city will have become a much better place.