Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista assured the public over the weekend of sufficient public utility vehicle (PUV) capacity to service passengers nationwide after the consolidation deadline lapsed on April 30, 2024.
Bautista said there are “enough” PUVs operating in Metro Manila and other cities, adding that 80 percent of operators and drivers had consolidated into cooperatives or corporations as part of the PUV Modernization Program (PUVMP).
“Overall, [the report of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board] is that we have enough capacity. Those who consolidated are offering required seats here in Metro Manila,” Bautista said.
Bautista said there are more than enough PUVs plying certain routes, which requires the rationalization of routes through the Local Public Transport Route Plan (LPTRP).
“There are routes that we need to reduce vehicles because they are too many [for one route],” he said.
Bautista said the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and the LTFRB are working with local government units to rationalize these routes.
“With the finalization of this LTPRP, we can ensure that the routes are profitable and sustainable and that would mean they can invest in modern vehicles,” he said.
The LPTRP is a plan detailing the route network, mode and required number of PUVs per mode for delivering land transport service, which would be the minimum requirement prescribed for the issuance of PUV franchises.
