ILOILO – As Iloilo City gears up to implement its enhanced Local Public Transport Route Plan (LPTRP) in early 2024, questions arise about Iloilo province’s own LPTRP.
Engr. Joshua Gaquit, Transportation Development Officer II at the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) Region 6, said the province’s LPTRP approval might face delays, linked to the city’s implementation timeline in the first quarter of 2024.
This delay is primarily due to the provincial government’s requirement to conduct a comprehensive dry run, particularly for routes served by the primary town jeepneys (Leganes, Pavia, San Miguel, and Oton).
The LTFRB-6 recommends this dry run to coincide with the city’s enhanced LPTRP implementation.
The synchronization is crucial to accurately assess the number of modernized jeepneys needed from each primary town for city operations.
“The dry run, initially planned to be simultaneous with the city’s implementation, is now expected to be delayed as the city finalizes its preparations,” Gaquit told Panay News.
Why is synchronizing these dry runs important?
Gaquit said aligning the provincial dry run with the city’s LPTRP implementation ensures more reliable data collection, reflecting the real-time dynamics as primary town jeepneys integrate into the city’s traffic flow.
“Simultaneous execution ensures data reliability. Implementing the provincial dry run earlier than the city’s plan could compromise data accuracy,” Gaquit added.
Post-dry run, the provincial government will submit a comprehensive report and the final LPTRP draft to LTFRB-6 for approval.
“The data from the dry run will support the first town proposals, focusing on the specific route requirements. This information is critical for proposing the required number of vehicle units for these towns,” Gaquit elaborated.
Each route-specific dry run is estimated to take about two weeks. Until the province’s LPTRP receives approval, traditional jeepneys, now consolidated into cooperatives and corporations, will continue operating.
Many transport groups have already formed these entities in anticipation of the new LPTRP, awaiting its final approval to determine their modernized jeepney acquisitions.
On Aug. 29, Iloilo City received the operational guidelines for its LPTRP through Memorandum Circular (MC) No. 2023-036, issued by LTFRB Chairman Atty. Toefilo E. Guadiz III. The city’s plan includes 17 rationalized routes, one enhanced route, and seven new developmental routes. In comparison, the province’s transport route plan features 67 rationalized routes and eight new or developmental routes./PN
