The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board has launched an investigation into the taxi driver who allegedly tried to overcharge Soobin during his recent trip to Cebu.
In a message to local media, Chairman Vigor Mendoza II said authorities are now tracking down the driver involved in the incident.
“Pinapahanap ko na ang taxi at ma-suspend operations ASAP,” Mendoza said.
The LTFRB chief added that criminal charges will be filed against both the driver and the operator of the vehicle, on top of franchise violations.
“Enough is enough. Kung ayaw nila tumigil, starting today, sasampahan na rin natin ng kasong kriminal for violating the Public Service Act and estafa ‘yung driver at operator. This is on top of the franchise violation. Impound rin ang sasakyan pending trial,” Mendoza said.
The agency’s statement came after Soobin uploaded a travel vlog on Wednesday showing a taxi driver attempting to charge him and a friend P1,000 for a short trip from the airport to their hotel in Cebu.
In the video, the driver justified the fare by saying that “gas is very expensive.” According to Soobin, the fare for the route was initially estimated at around P300, while the driver first quoted P500 before later raising it to P1,000.
The incident is not the first involving a K-pop artist in the Philippines. In 2022, Joshua Hong also revealed that he had been charged P1,000 by a taxi driver in Manila. At the time, the LTFRB condemned the incident, calling it disappointing and embarrassing.
