MANILA – The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) will start today apprehending jeepney drivers whose operators failed to consolidate their public utility vehicles (PUV) into cooperatives.
The consolidation deadline was on April 30, 2024 but LTFRB gave operators a two-week leeway.
According to LTFRB Chairman Teofilo Guadiz III, unconsolidated PUVs are now considered illegal or colorum.
“Pwede na kaming mag-flag down. Pwede na kaming manghuli ng driver ng sasakyan,” Guadiz said in an interview with GMA’s Unang Balita on Wednesday.
He added: “Tapos na po ang binigay nating palugit para sa kanila. Huwag na po mag-byahe ‘yung mga hindi nag-consolidate.”
Unconsolidated jeepney drivers still plying routes face a one-year suspension, while their PUV would get a P50,000 penalty and 30-day impoundment.
President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has previously rejected calls to extend anew the deadline for the PUV consolidation program beyond April 30.
The PUVMP aims to replace jeepneys with vehicles that have at least a Euro 4-compliant engine to lessen pollution, which costs over P2 million per unit.
The modernization program, which was first planned in 2017, also aims to replace units that are not deemed roadworthy by the Land Transportation Office’s standards.
Transport groups filed a supplemental petition and again asked the Supreme Court to issue a temporary restraining order against the PUVMP, but the high court has yet to take action./PN
