A TOTAL of 8,261 public utility vehicles (PUVs) in Central Visayas have been issued special permits to operate as of Sept. 11, 2020.
The special permits are valid until Sept. 30, after which these are deemed cancelled unless another extension will be granted, Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) 7 Director Eduardo Montealto Jr. said.
Montealto said that of the number, 7,829 are in Cebu; 326 in Bohol; and 106 in Negros Oriental.
“For Siquijor, it’s unaccounted yet but most of traditional public utility jeepneys (TPUJs) have continued operating because this province was never put on lockdown,” he said.
Of the 7,829 PUVs issued special permits in Cebu, 185 are modern public utility jeepneys (MPUJs) operating within Cebu City; 156 buses in the tri-cities of Lapu Lapu, Mandaue and Cebu; 256 buses for Northern Cebu Province; 353 buses in Southern Cebu Province; 741 TPUJs in areas outside Cebu City and Mandaue City; 359 UV Express; 3,830 taxis; 427 Transport Network Vehicle Services; 1,441 Tourist Transport Service (such as sedans, vans, sports utility vehicles); and 81 tourist buses (TBs).
Montealto said most of the TBs were hired by companies shuttle their employees, thus, somehow reducing passenger demand for commuters.
Moreover, operators of these PUVs need not transact with LTFRB 7 as the latter extended the special permit validity until Sept. 30.
This is to also avoid face-to-face transactions in the LTFRB office, Montealto said.
Operation of PUVs without special permit will be considered as colorum operations, he said.
Operators issued with special permits, moreover, are advised to visit LTFRB 7’s official Facebook page for updates and route modification.
The entire Central Visayas is now under modified general community quarantine until the end of September. (WBS)