Passengers stranded as transport strike hits Metro, provinces

Commuters crowd one lane of Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City as a jeepney operators and drivers from Piston and Stop and Go Coalition went on strike. NINO JESUS ORBETA/PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER

Thousands of commuters were stranded on Monday morning or were forced to seek alternative transportation options amid a nationwide transport strike of some jeepney groups.

Piston, Stop and Go Coalition and No to Jeepney Phase Out Coalition earlier declared that they would hold a transport strike in Metro Manila and other urban areas nationwide.

The announcement prompted Malacañang to suspend classes of elementary and high school students in Metro Manila. Other cities outside Metro Manila and some schools in the National Capital Region  also announced class and work suspensions.

The groups participating in the transport strike were protesting the phasing out of jeepneys as part of the Department of Transportation’s modernization program.

READ: Bicol militants call on halt to armed conflict, jeepney phaseout 

In Makati, employees were forced to walk or ride tricycles to get to their offices. Taxis and ride-hailing apps were also utilized.

Along Commonwealth Avenue, hundreds of passengers were stranded.

However, media reports showed that some areas in Metro Manila were not affected by the transport strike.

Members of Piston participating in the strike crippled public transportation in Mandaue City by 60 percent and in Cebu City by 30 percent, according to a report.

READ: Cebu drivers join strike, partially disrupt public transport 

To ease the high demand for transportation, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA)  lifted the number coding scheme for public utility vehicles.

The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) also deployed vehicles to shuttle stranded commuters. CBB/rga

READ: MMDA lifts number coding due to strike