ILOILO – The provincial government is set to finalize and submit its proposed Provincial Public Transport Route Plan (PPTRP) to the Department of Transportation (DOTr) on Friday, May 10, following a simulation exercise conducted from February to March this year.
The simulation aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the route structure and alignment.
Mario Nillos from the Provincial Planning and Development Office (PPDO) said his team is in the final stages of setting the route structure and consulting with local government units (LGUs) to ensure the readiness of the proposed plan.
“Once the route structure and alignment are approved, we will submit the plan via email to the DOTr through the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) Regional Office 6,” Nillos told Panay News.
This marks the fourth submission of the transport plan by the province, with the PPDO hopeful that there will be no further delays or revisions required and that the plan will be approved within four months.
Previously, the transport plan submitted to the DOTr included 67 rationalized routes and eight development routes. However, Nillos said the number of rationalized routes has changed due to merging of some routes, a decision based on insights gained from the recent simulation exercise.
One significant revision involves the route from San Joaquin town proper to Barangay Tiolas and back, which was initially proposed for removal but was retained after recognizing the necessity to cater to passengers in the area.
Another change was the decision not to merge the Guimbal route with the Miag-ao route after simulations showed the existing route’s necessity, especially during peak hours to accommodate local passengers’ comfort.
Furthermore, the PPDO revised the Calinog to Janiuay route and vice versa, deciding against establishing a new route due to sufficient coverage by existing Ceres bus and Calinog Bus Line services.
Nillos also highlighted the challenges in developing the transport plan for a province that includes 42 towns and the component city of Passi, compared to Iloilo City due to the larger number of routes involved.
He reassured passengers that 97 percent of the nearly 4,000 traditional transport units in the province have already consolidated into cooperatives or corporations, as part of the PUV modernization program.
Several towns, including San Miguel, Leon, Tigbauan, Miag-ao, San Joaquin, Pavia, and Cabatuan, have already introduced minibuses./PN
