Mindanaotoday.com | LTFRB-10: Reduced fare only for PUJs with GPS
By: Jigger Jerusalem
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – The soon-to-take-effect reduction of minimum jeepney fare of P9 will only be for public utility vehicles (PUVs) with GPS tracking feature, the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board-10 (LTFRB-10) clarified.
The implementation of the P9 fare, which will take effect this April, is a continuation of the Department of Transportation’s (DOTr) service contracting program (SCP), now on its fourth stage.
Under the SCP, the DOTr has subsidized the earnings of PUJ operators so they can provide free transport to commuters at the height of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.
This year, the “libreng sakay” or free ride scheme implemented by government will no longer be available, but in its place is the reduced P9 fare. At present the minimum fare for PUJs is P12.
Aminoden Guro, LTFRB-10 regional director, said the national government has continued the SCP implementation since there is a leftover of P600 million from the previous years.
“There is an excess of P600 million from the phase 3 [of the SCP], so in order to liquidate that amount, the government has decided to consume it through the implementation of phase 4,” Guro said.
But Guro made it clear that only PUJ units that are installed with global position system (GPS) feature are eligible for the SCP for real-time monitoring of the volume of passengers.
The LTFRB-10 regional director’s explanation came after concerns from both commuters and drivers reach his office regarding the reduced fare, adding that there were some confusion and speculation on the implementation of the service contracting program’s fourth cycle.
“Most of the PUJs that have GPS are the modernized units, so they can avail of the SCP phase 4. But if a traditional jeepney has an installed GPS, then it can also be eligible for the SCP,” he added.
Under the Omnibus Franchising Guidelines, transport cooperatives or corporations are only allowed to operate if their PUJ units are equipped with such amenities as GPS, dashboard cameras, and automatic fare collection system, among others.
For her part, Luzminda Escobidal, manager of the PN Roa Canitoan Transport Cooperative (Ponstransco), one of the first groups in Cagayan de Oro to comply with the PUV modernization program, said the P9 fare is advantageous to passengers.
Escobidal said that they are ready for the SCP phase 4 implementation as all their modernized PUJ units are OFG-compliant and are installed with GPS and the tap card system provided by private firm Filipay.
She added the Ponstransco command center, in partnership with telecommunications company PLDT, will soon be operational and once up and running the management can fully monitor the movement and location of their PUJ units. (MT)
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