Fly-by night tours sold at fastcraft terminals hit

Hello there! Are you now planning for your next Summer Vacation in the Philippines? Checkout our list of Hotels in the Philippines for your accommodation needs.

TOURISTS flooding the Tagbilaran City ports do not anymore elate the local tourist drivers at the pier.

In fact, drivers belonging to the Association of Bohol United Tourist Services Inc. (ABUTSI) have aired their alarm over another modus operandi that actually could drive drivers and their families hungry.

Bohol Tourist Transport Association Inc., members also air similar sentiment.

ABUTSI president Ludivico Ofianga recalled the days when tour drivers pick up fares at the tourist arrival line at the pier.

Now, he said almost all that come in have been pre-canvassed, not by legitimate tour operators and agencies.

Ofianga said he has personally seen how a fly by night tour canvasser operates at the pier passenger terminals in Cebu.

He said he saw at the SuperCat and OceanJet passenger terminals in Cebu a practice of guys contracting tours in the guise of assisting tourists.

He may not be not bad, he said.

“But when the guy sells not only the Bohol tour destination packages but also his pre-contacted fly by night van drivers here who agree to run below the standard rates, its unfair competition to us, he complained.

These fly-by night drivers could not pick up guests at the pier being non members of existing legal tour transport operators, he said.

The practice has jeopardized local tour operations and most especially affects local transport providers who serve arriving walk-in guests.

He said now, walk in tourists not contracting agency offered tours come in with cellphone numbers of fly be night drivers who pick them up at the pier, he added.

Meanwhile, another transport driver, who asked not to be named said such a practice was also the modus of a government employee who facilitates tours and handpicks “his” roster of drivers so he could collect commissions.

He did not elaborate however if this practice is still on.

Over all these, drivers here have asked local officials to do something about this as they said many drivers have been deprived of the chance of getting fares.

“We ask local officials to act in any way so this could be checked for fairness sake,” Ofianga concluded.

In an industry that promises jobs for locals, this practice would also seem to be one that does not show it at all, a driver added.