Councilor wants to ban ‘hot’ UV Express vans in QC

MANILA, Philippines–A Quezon City councilor wants to put the heat on UV Express vans with faulty air conditioners.

Expressing concern over the comfort of passengers who take these public utility vehicles to work or school, Karl Edgar Castelo of the fifth district has proposed an ordinance that would impose a fine of up to P5,000 on operators of UV Express vans with defective air-con systems.

According to Castelo: “UV Express [vans] with defective air-conditioning systems are actually short-changing passengers who pay extra for the comfort of [riding in air-conditioned] vehicles).”

Under the proposed ordinance, UV Express vans with defective air-conditioning systems would be banned in Quezon City. It defined defective as failing to “provide minimum cooling comfort to passengers.”

Once it is approved, the ordinance would make it unlawful for UV Express van terminal operators in Quezon City to allow a unit with a malfunctioning air-conditioning system to pick up passengers.

he operator of a van with a defective air-conditioning system will be fined P5,000 while a terminal operator who allows these vehicles to pick up passengers will be slapped a P3,000 fine. Should the measure be approved, the city’s Department of Public Order and Safety will be tasked to implement its provisions.–Jeannette I. Andrade