The government on Thursday said traditional jeepneys will not be phased out after the Dec. 31 deadline set in its Public Utility Vehicle (PUV) modernization program, but urged operators and drivers to comply with the consolidation requirement under its guidelines.
“For as long as the jeepneys have passed the roadworthiness requirement of the Land Transportation Office, they can still operate [even after Dec. 31],” said Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) chairman Teofilo Guadiz III.
Guadiz offered this assurance to jeepney drivers and operators who have threatened to go on a nationwide strike next week over the PUV modernization program.
The consolidation must be accomplished by Dec. 31, he said, “but it does not mean that traditional jeepneys will no longer be allowed to ply the roads by year’s end.”
He called on the operators and drivers of traditional jeepneys to maximize the 27 months given to them as they can still ply the road so long as their vehicles are determined to be roadworthy.
The 27-month period can also be used to transition from the old diesel-powered jeepneys to fuel-efficient, modern vehicles, he added.
“It is not true that within three, six, or nine months, one must need a new unit. There is no truth to that. [Those are] all lies,” he added.
Guadiz said 60 percent of PUJs in the country have already been consolidated or joined a cooperative.
He also said he is optimistic that the PUV Modernization Program will be completed under the Marcos administration, as more drivers and operators have come to accept it.
LTFRB technical division chief Joel Bolano, however, said there is a possibility to extend the 27-month period to acquire a new unit from the time of the consolidation, such as in cases when new units are not available.
Meanwhile, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) said it is preparing contingency plans for a three-day transport strike starting on Monday.
The MMDA led by its chairman Don Artes on Thursday presided over a meeting with government agencies and Metro Manila traffic bureau heads to discuss the plans and ensure public safety during the planned protests initiated by Piston (Pagkakaisa ng mga Samahan ng Tsuper at Opereytor Nationwide).
The agency’s Communications and Command Center will monitor the situation and maintain order on affected routes while rescue units will be dispatched to help stranded passengers.
Local government units will deploy free-ride vehicles to assist stranded commuters while the MMDA prepares other assets, including air-conditioned buses and vans.
A special team of MMDA personnel is tasked to monitor conditions on the ground.
The jeepney strikes from Nov. 20 to 23 protests the government’s PUV Modernization Program.
Piston planned the strike after the government rejected its request to remove the Dec. 31 deadline to form or join transport cooperatives so they could keep operating.
The Dec. 31 franchise deadline is the first component of the government’s modernization plan that would eventually phase out traditional jeepneys.
The PUV modernization program started in 2017 aims to replace diesel-powered jeepneys with vehicles with at least a Euro 4-compliant engine to reduce pollution. The government originally set a June 30, 2023 deadline, but this was extended to the end of the year after the announcement of a transport strike in March.