MIAA Mulls Banning White Taxis Permanently; Starts at NAIA Terminal 1

The Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) is considering permanently banning all white taxis at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), executives said Wednesday.

This came after another incident involving an erring taxi driver surfaced online. The driver allegedly victimized two vloggers (video bloggers) who hailed his taxi from NAIA. Apparently, the two were asked to pay for a flat rate instead of what was in the taxi meter, and were also asked for a luggage fee.

The management has started banning all white taxis at NAIA Terminal 1 since Monday, May 6.

"They (white taxi drivers) can drop off and pick up passengers at the departure area. However, they are not allowed to go there without carrying a passenger," MIAA Media Affairs Division head, Jess Martinez, told the Philippine News Agency (PNA).

The two-minute loading and unloading policy should also be applied.

Martinez clarified that this ban is still on a trial period.

"We'd give it a trial for two weeks. We want to balance out things so the riding public would not have a problem. Eventually, we would apply this (ban) at all terminals of NAIA," MIAA General Manager Ed Monreal told reporters.

"MIAA would like to see if accredited transport and other operators which have permits from MIAA, such as Grab and UBE Express, would be capable of servicing the transportation needs of the passengers. If we find this okay, then all white taxi queuing lanes at the four terminals will be eliminated," explained Consuelo Bungag, MIAA Public Affairs officer-in-charge.

Monreal, meanwhile, said incidents involving erring taxi drivers are recurring. Some of these drivers, he said, are using fake tariff rates that they claim were from MIAA and the Department of Tourism.