DOTr: No agreement on unconsolidated PUVs operating after deadline

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Transportation (DOTr) on Tuesday said there is no agreement that permits unconsolidated jeepneys to operate for a year beyond the April 30 deadline for the consolidation of public utility vehicles (PUVs).

This came after transportation group Manibela staged a 3-day transport strike starting June 10 in protest of the alleged harassment of their members by Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) and DOTr personnel.

READ: Transport group Manibela to hold strike on June 10-12

Manibela accused traffic enforcers from the MMDA and DOTr of targeting the group’s members who did not join transport cooperatives or corporations despite being allowed to continue plying their routes and a one-year extension to their registration, citing a congressional hearing on May 21.

However, DOTr Road Transport and Infrastructure Usec. Andy Ortega said Manibela may have only been referring to a proposal from Congress which is still being studied by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB).

“Ang answer ng ating LTFRB, pag-aaralan po iyong proposal na iyon. Ngunit just to clarify some misinformation, wala pong naging agreement ang DOTr na sila ay payagang bumiyahe po ng isang taon wherein hindi po sila nag-consolidate,” said Ortega in a Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon briefing.

(The LTFRB’s answer is that that proposal will be studied. But just to clarify some misinformation, the DOTr has not made an agreement that they will be allowed to operate for one year in which they did not consolidate.)

Ortega emphasized that the April 30 deadline was final, stressing that it was not the first time the cutoff point for consolidation was moved.

He also noted that most PUVs have already consolidated, with 81 percent of PUVs nationwide recorded to have done so.

Despite this, Ortega vowed that the DOTr-LTFRB will ensure that unconsolidated jeepney drivers will undergo due process before their franchises are revoked.