The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) on Wednesday announced it will open public utility vehicle (PUV) routes to serve regular commuters of the Philippine National Railways (PNR) to be affected by the closure of the train stations due to the construction of the North-South Commuter Railway.
“The effect of the closure of these select PNR stations on commuters will be quite substantial so through these PUV routes, we hope to lessen the impact of the closure. We appreciate the help of the PNR in identifying the routes, and we know that once the NSCR is completed, its benefits would be truly worth it in terms of passenger mobility along our railways, which is regarded as one of the most convenient and affordable modes of public transportation in the country,” LTFRB chairman Teofilo Guadiz III said.
The construction of the 147-kilometer urban railway network connecting Metro Manila to Pampanga and Laguna would last about five years or until 2028, and was expected to pose serious daily commuting problems to some 30,000 people.
Under Memorandum Circular No. 2023-020, the LTFRB through its Franchise Planning and Monitoring Division, along with the PNR, identified three routes to service the PNR stations to be affected by the closure.
The LTFRB has identified three routes for qualification process, and these are the FTI-Divisoria via East Service Road and Alabang (Starmall) – Divisoria via the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) for public utility buses, and Malabon-Divisoria to be serviced by modern public utility
A total of 30 PUBs would ply the FTI-Divisoria route, 25 PUBs for Alabang (Starmall)–Divisoria, and five public jeepneys for Malabon-Divisoria.
“The number of units may be modified accordingly depending on passenger demand,” the memorandum read.
The memorandum said Memorandum Circular No. 2019-013 (Consolidated Guidelines on the Process of Issuance of Certificate of Public Convenience and Provisional Authority/Special Permit Under the Omnibus Franchising Guidelines and Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program” shall govern the selection process.
The units authorized to operate should not be more than five years old based on the vehicle’s Certificate of Registration with the Land Transportation Office, should operate under an SP for one year and renewable every year thereafter, or until the NSCR is fully operational, while the existing fare for city buses as authorized by the LTFRB shall be applied.