ILOILO City – The Land Transportation Office (LTO) has pulled 188 “colorum” vehicles off Western Visayas roads since January as authorities intensify a region-wide crackdown on vehicles carrying paying passengers without the required government franchise.
The campaign has expanded beyond conventional passenger vans, taxis, motorcycles and tricycles, with LTO warning that privately registered vehicles being rented or used to transport passengers for a fee are also covered by franchise requirements.
The latest apprehension involved a sedan intercepted along the Circumferential Road in Barangay Buhang, Jaro, Iloilo City.
A team from the LTO Region 6’s Regional Law Enforcement Section headed by Chief Jetster Mandadero flagged down the sedan while it was transporting passengers from Antique to a hotel in Jaro.
An on-site inquiry found that the vehicle was being used in a commercial transport arrangement.
The driver admitted that the sedan had been rented for P1,200 per day for a seven-day trip, amounting to P8,400.
Because the vehicle did not have the required regulatory authorization to transport passengers for a fee, LTO-6 immediately impounded it.
The sedan joined the 188 vehicles apprehended since January for allegedly operating without the required franchise. The impounded vehicles include sedans, vans, taxis, motorcycles and tricycles.
LTO-6 said its enforcement campaign is anchored on Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) Memorandum Circular No. 2024-038, which took effect on Oct. 10, 2024.
The circular repealed LTFRB Memorandum Circular Nos. 2011-008 and 2019-003, removing exemptions that previously allowed certain private car-rental arrangements to operate without a franchise.
Under the current rules, a vehicle carrying passengers for a fee – whether presented as a private rental, lease or informal transport arrangement – is classified as a public utility vehicle and must secure an LTFRB franchise.
LTO-6 director Atty. Gaudioso P. Geduspan II stressed that the crackdown is also intended to protect passengers and legitimate transport operators.
“Car rental operators must secure the necessary franchise from the LTFRB before using vehicles for hire,” Geduspan said.
LTO-6 warned that unauthorized “colorum” operations do not undergo mandatory vehicle safety inspections and regular driver background checks and may not provide passengers with official insurance coverage.
Passengers could consequently be left without adequate financial or legal protection in the event of a road crash./PN
