Modern jeepneys rolling out in April

There will be no standard look for the environment-friendly jeepneys that will soon hit Metro Manila roads, but commuters can get an idea from one of the models put on exhibit in Pasay City in October last year. —Grig C. Montegrande

At least 500 new jeepneys that are compliant with the government’s public utility vehicle (PUV) modernization program will be plying the streets of Metro Manila and several provinces by late April, according to the Department of Transportation (DOTr).

Tim Orbos, the transport undersecretary for roads, said the riding public could look forward to the new vehicles which would operate in areas currently being served as well as other “developmental routes” being studied by the DOTr.

Most of the new jeepneys will run in the capital, while the rest will be introduced in the provinces of Mindoro, Nueva Ecija and Iloilo, as well as Tacloban City, Orbos added.

“We want to show the public that these new jeeps are coming and we can then compare (and see) why we want the modern jeepneys [over the old units],” he told reporters in Quezon City on Thursday.

Orbos said most of the new units would get franchises that are available under the so-called “dropping and substitution” scheme, wherein they would simply be replacing old franchise holders.

There would be no standard look for the new jeepneys, he explained, but they must comply with the specifications required under the modernization program. These mainly include having engines that meet Euro-4 emission standards, a 22-seating capacity and a side door.

The government program to upgrade the “Kings of the Road” has been met with protest actions and transport strikes by militant groups who consider the project “antipoor” due to the high cost of acquiring compliant models.

But Mark de Leon, transport assistant secretary for roads, stressed that the program would benefit commuters as jeepneys become safer and more environment-friendly.