Authorities appealed to transport terminal owners and operators to participate in the government’s campaign against colorum and out-of-line vehicles, among contributing factors to the worsening traffic problem in the metropolis, especially during the holiday season.
The Interagency Council for Traffic (I-ACT) made the appeal on Wednesday as the government started implementing stricter measure and stiffer penalties against vehicles without valid franchise.
“Our all-out war on colorum vehicles is continuous and more stringent than before especially that the holidays is fast approaching,” said I-ACT chief Thomas Orbos.
“The demand for vehicles is usually high during this season and some are taking advantage of it. But if an untoward incident happens, colorum vehicles can’t give their commuters the help they should get. Curbing colorum vehicles is meant to give the riding public their much needed safety on the road,” he explained.
The I-ACT’s Task Force Kamao is focusing on colorum vehicles on a nationwide scale, intensifies its crackdown on those vehicles as part of the government’s pledge with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal to promote road safety.
Orbos said legitimate terminal owners who allow colorum vehicles to operate within their premises would not be going off the hook.
“Being legitimate won’t excuse terminal operators. If there is even a single colorum vehicle operating under their roof, they will still be subjected to fine and penalties stipulated in the Omnibus Franchising Guidelines,” Orbos said.
Based on the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board Memorandum Circular 2017-030 or the Omnibus Franchising Guidelines, penalties would depend on the type of vehicles and the number of units found and proven to be operating inside an off-street transport terminal:
-Public Utility Jeep/Filcab – P50,000 per unit;
-Taxis – P120,000) per unit;
-UV Express/Vans – P200,000 per unit, and;
-Public Utility Buses – P1,000,000 per unit
Last year, I-ACT encouraged mall owners and operators to present their respective terminal plans to the Department of Transportation and LTFRB and prevent colorum vehicles from entering their premises.
Orbos stressed the importance of implementing traffic reduction measures within shopping malls and other commercial centers as they are now serving as transport hubs.
Former Metro Manila Development Authority chairman and now Marikina Rep. Bayani Fernando recently said burning of colorum public utility vehicles was one of the solutions to address the worsening traffic problem in Metro Manila.
Fernando, vice chairman of the House Committee on Transportation, also urged the government to rationalize the issuance of franchise to all public utility vehicles.
“All PUVs must be given franchise .. the jeeps, buses and UV Express. The truth is we lack in public utility vehicles, but the problem is dispatching, and that is why we created the organized bus routed dispatching. The secret of all transport companies is the effective dispatching,” said Fernando.
Upon issuance of franchise, Fernando said, “You will no longer become colorum. But first strike, your vehicle will be burned and from there, you will get another franchise before you can get a [new] unit.”