LTFRB: Only 4,000 of 170,000 jeepneys modernized

This photo taken on November 29, 2018 shows Vic Capuno, 52-year-old jeepney artist, painting in the side of one of the vehicles at a workshop in San Pablo, Laguna province, south of Manila. – Capuno, a draughtsman by education who went into jeepney painting in 1987, works along with a colleague on three or four jeepneys a month produced by San Pablo’s Armak Motors. As the government runs jeepneys gradually off the road due to pollution and safety concerns, artists like him — and their work — are going too. (Photo by TED ALJIBE / AFP) / TO GO WITH AFP STORY PHILIPPINES-LIFESTYLE-ART-JEEPNEY,FEATURE BY CECIL MORELLA

QUEZON CITY, Philippines — Only 4,000 jeepneys have so far complied with the government’s public utility vehicle (PUV) modernization program, a Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) official revealed Monday.

This is far from the target since there are 170,000 jeepneys nationwide, and the deadline for compliance has been set on June 30, 2020.

Launched in 2017, the PUV modernization program requires jeepney operators to replace their old units to Euro-4 powered, industry-standard units.

LTFRB Technical Division Chief Joel Bolano urged jeepney operators and drivers to form cooperatives or corporations to ease their financial burden in modernizing their jeepneys and make route rationalization easier.

“Tinitingnan namin ay ‘yung mga existing routes na mag-consolidate na po sila pending po doon sa rationalization,” Bolano said in a press conference.

“Ang queue lang po nito ay for those existing operators ng cooperative o corporation para makapag-forward na sila sa pagpalit ng mga bagong modernized na jeep,” he added.

Lack of supply was also a challenge to the PUV modernization program, according to another official of the LTFRB.

“Unang (challenge) nakikita natin ay ‘yung sa supply side. Ang talagang kulang ay ‘yung sa supply, palagay ko,” LTFRB Board Member Ronald Corpuz said in the same press conference.

“Minsan ang nangyayari, hindi demand-based, hindi forecast-based ‘yung pag-produce ng unit, parang nakabase siya sa doon sa pag nag-order ka lang. Ang supplier, may limit din ‘yan, may financial limit ‘yan. Ang mangyayari, kung hindi ka mag-o-order, hindi gagawin ang unit,” he added.

Corpuz said the government aims to rid Philippine roads of old jeepneys by 2020, saying, “Mawawala na lahat ng mausok at bulok na sasakyan, jeep basically (All smoke-belchers and dilapidated vehicles, jeep basically, will be gone.” /kga