ILOILO City – The Iloilo City Traffic and Transportation Management Office (ICTTMO) has launched an intensified crackdown on overloaded minibuses, deploying monitoring teams across key loading and unloading areas amid rising complaints of stranded commuters along major thoroughfares.
ICTTMO head Uldarico Garbanzos stressed that the surge of roadside passengers should not be blamed on the strict enforcement of the city’s Anti-Excess Passenger Ordinance, but rather on what he described as poor dispatching practices among transport cooperatives and corporations operating public utility vehicles.
Monitoring personnel have been stationed at major terminals and common pick-up points to immediately intercept units found exceeding passenger limits.
“The ordinance is being enforced for public safety. Overloading endangers commuters, and compliance is non-negotiable,” Garbanzos said, underscoring that enforcement teams were ordered to act swiftly once violations are detected.
He emphasized that transport operators must ensure adequate deployment of units, particularly during peak hours, instead of limiting trips to avoid penalties.
Garbanzos also called on transport cooperatives to strictly adhere to organized dispatching systems to prevent service gaps that leave commuters waiting longer on the roadside.
At the same time, he encouraged traditional jeepneys to continue operating during rush hours to help absorb passenger demand as the city transitions to modernized public transport.
The ICTTMO chief issued the clarification following reports of increased roadside congestion, which he attributed to some modernized buses deliberately avoiding overloading rather than any failure in policy enforcement.
City authorities maintained that passenger safety remains the priority, warning operators that compliance with capacity limits will be strictly monitored in the coming days./PN
