The Tagbilaran City Council is moving to crack down on the unauthorized sale of tricycle franchises after reports emerged that units are being traded for as much as PhP600,000 pesos each — a price inflated by years of unregulated transfers that city officials say has distorted the city’s public transportation sector.
City Councilor Edi Borja, chairman of the council’s Committee on Public Utilities, said Friday he is drafting a proposed ordinance that would regulate franchise transfers and impose a transfer fee when a franchise is sold to someone who is not a legal heir of the original holder.
The measure was taken up during a regular session of the Sangguniang Panlungsod on Feb. 20, 2026, presided over by City Vice Mayor Adam Relson Jala.
Deliberations remain at the committee level, with the council targeting passage within the first quarter of 2026.
Borja said the ordinance aims to establish clear policy on franchise transfers and stop a practice that has artificially driven up prices and raised worries in the city’s transport sector.
The issue comes amid longstanding and persistent public complaints about overcharging by tricycle drivers in Tagbilaran — complaints that have spanned years and drawn repeated responses from city authorities.
As recently as February 2025, the Tagbilaran City Council’s Committee on Public Utilities and Franchises was called to address overcharging complaints, particularly involving tricycle operators at the city port, where drivers agreed to issue fare receipts and post official fare rate tarpaulins at terminals.
The problem is not new.
As far back as 2016, complaints against overcharging passenger tricycles were flooding the City Traffic Management Office despite the issuance of thousands of citation tickets for violations including illegal parking and fare overcharging.
City officials have repeatedly urged residents who experience overcharging to file formal complaints at City Hall rather than venting on social media, noting that formal complaints are more likely to result in appropriate action.
The current city ordinance pegs the minimum tricycle fare at 15 pesos for the first kilometer with an additional 2 pesos for each succeeding kilometer.
Despite this, drivers — particularly near the city port, airport, and major commercial centers — have long been reported charging well above official rates.
Radio surveys in previous years showed public frustration running deep, with callers recounting incidents such as being charged P100 pesos for short trips and drivers refusing to accept solo passengers or charging exorbitant fares for those traveling alone.
The rising black-market price of tricycle franchises — now reportedly reaching P600,000 pesos per unit — is seen by observers as compounding the overcharging problem.
Operators who acquire franchises at inflated prices are under pressure to recover costs, creating a financial incentive to charge passengers beyond regulated rates.
The overcharging problem has also been flagged as damaging to Bohol’s reputation as a tourism destination, prompting local entrepreneurs to develop solutions such as ride-hailing apps offering regulated, transparent fare rates for both residents and visitors.
The proposed ordinance, if passed, would be among the city’s most direct legislative interventions in the tricycle franchise market, establishing a regulatory framework that officials hope will bring both greater transparency to franchise transfers and long-term relief to Boholano and tourist commuters.
Illegal tricycle franchise sale price in Tagbilaran soars to P600,000
