CEBU City traffic enforcers apprehended 217 public utility jeepney (PUJ) drivers for illegal loading and unloading of passengers at non-designated stops in January.
This represents a decrease of 41.35 percent from the 370 PUJ drivers apprehended in the same period in 2019, according to the Cebu City Transportation Office (CCTO).
The CCTO also collected P217,000 in fines on the first month of 2020 since the office strictly implemented City Ordinance 1348, or “An Ordinance Establishing A Traffic Code for the City of Cebu.”
CCTO Operations Chief Erwin Navales said other drivers might have already been educated as the number of violators is declining.
“But such cases cannot be avoided knowing that there are still hard-headed drivers who are eager to get passengers,” said Navales. “We have designated stop areas to make sure the safety of commuters as well as not to obstruct the road so as not to cause traffic.”
Navales said they distributed flyers to PUJ drivers in January to inform them about adjustments of designated stop areas. Commuters, on the other hand, were given public advisories on where the designated stop areas are.
“Our enforcers keep on urging commuters to embark and disembark in the designated stop areas for safety purposes and to avoid road obstruction,” Navales said.
A driver caught violating the ordinance is issued a citation ticket and fined P1,000, while a commuter who embarks and disembarks at non-designated stop areas is fined P50.
Navales said PUJ drivers cannot renew their CCTO ID if they don’t pay the fine. (Mae Fhel Gom-os, USJ-R Intern)