Public utility jeepneys in Iloilo province (INQUIRER file photo)
ILOILO CITY — The city and provincial governments of Iloilo have signed an agreement allowing 40 percent of consolidated public utility jeepneys (PUJs) from the city’s neighboring towns to enter the city.
The agreement allows 40 percent of PUJs to enter the city from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. and from 4:30 p.m. to midnight.
However, during off-peak hours, only 25 percent are allowed.
On Saturdays, 40 percent can enter all day, and 100 percent on Sundays and holidays.
First-town jeepneys cannot load passengers while heading to their destination but can pick up passengers in designated areas when the vehicles are outbound.
Salvador Altura Jr., acting regional director of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB), said the agreement aligns with the provincial government’s local public transport plan (LPTRP) and the city’s transport plan.
He said this would help manage the volume of vehicles and traffic in Iloilo City.
The LTFRB is set seeking to secure the early approval of the province’s LPTRP, which is currently under review by the Department of Transportation (DOTr).
Altura believed the provincial LPTRP, once approved, will solve the conflicts experienced during the implementation of the transport modernization program.
The current agreement acts as a preliminary test for the provincial plan.
Aside from Altura, the other signatories in the agreement were Iloilo Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr., Iloilo City Traffic Management Unit Vice Chairperson Uldarico Garbanzos, Jr., Iloilo Provincial Administrator Raul Banias, Provincial Planning and Development Officer Mario Nillos, and the epresentatives from “first-town” local governments and transport cooperatives.
Defensor earlier requested Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas to allow 40 percent of jeepneys from the “first towns” of Leganes, Oton, Pavia and Santa Barbara to enter the city.