TRICYCLES in Mandaue City will soon implement a full seating capacity and a decrease in fare from P20 to P10.This after Mandaue’s Tricycle Franchising Board (TFB) approved the measure after receiving a lot of complaints that some tricycle drivers in the city were overcharging their passengers compared to those in other local government units (LGUs).Mandaue City Councilor Jimmy Lumapas, who chairs the City Council’s committee on transportation, said the TFB approved the two measures on Wednesday, March 9, 2022.Aside from the decrease in fares, tricycle drivers will now be required to increase their seating capacity from two passengers to a maximum of five passengers.Lumapas said the new changes will be implemented once the City Council approves them next week.Lumapas said they received a lot of complaints that tricycles in the city were still imposing a huge amount of fare compared to other LGUs, which prompted them to adjust as well.Apart from that, Lumapas noted Cebu Province, as well as Mandaue City, already imposed a full seating capacity in public transport since March 1 or while they have been placed under Alert Level 2 status.Mixed reactionsThe TFB’s new measures have drawn mixed reactions from tricycle drivers and commuters in Mandaue City.Ricky Patiluna, a tricycle driver plying routes from Barangay Looc to the city’s public market, said they disagree on the increase of passenger capacity in exchange for the decrease in fare.“We don’t agree with it since only a few passengers avail of our services. It’s already hard to get three passengers, much more if five,” Patiluna told SunStar Cebu in Cebuano.Patiluna added the current oil price hikes being felt in Cebu are another factor why they are opposing the TFP’s new meaasures.Patiluna preferred that the City would only allow them to accomodate three passengers per ride and impose a fare of P15 per passenger.Commuter Ursula Cabahug said she would prefer to pay P20 instead of riding in tricycles with full seating capacity.Cabahug, a senior citizen, said she preferred it that way as it will protect those like her from getting infected with Covid-19.But Evangeline Cuerbo, who resides in Barangay Opao, said the decrease in fare would be a big help for the commuting public, particularly the poor.