SINCE the number of modernized jeepneys plying Bacolod City’s main thoroughfares is not enough, all operators of the traditional ones can apply for interim service permits from the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB).
Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez said this will allow them to continue plying their routes until 2023 or until such time that the number of modernized jeepneys is already sufficient.
For traditional jeepneys with expired franchises, their operators can also apply for an interim service permit and have an agreement with operators whose documents are updated so they will be allowed to operate temporarily, he said.
LTFRB-Western Visayas records showed that 2, 445 public utility jeepneys (PUJs) operating in 44 routes in Bacolod City had franchises until 2020
Under the Local Public Transport Route Plan (LPTRP), only 1, 099 jeepney units were given permits to continue operating while there were only 173 units of modernized jeepneys in the city.
“We will not allow them to continue operating without permit or registration nor will we allow them to continue plying their routes without insurance as it will put the riding public at risk,” the mayor stressed.
Benitez met with LTFRB-Western Visayas Spokesperson Salvador Altura Jr. and Land Transportation Office - Western Visayas Assistant Regional Director Atty. Gaudioso Geduspan II following the expiration of the moratorium on the apprehension of jeepneys without franchises in Bacolod yesterday, November 22.
The discussion on the issue will continue until such time that a final settlement will be reached, the mayor noted.
Earlier, operators of traditional jeeps said that about 2,000 of them will lose their jobs if the modernization program is implemented although they said that they are not against it.
During their meeting with Benitez two weeks ago, they asked for some changes on the provisions of the modernization program.
It can be recalled that on November 7 and 8 this year, old jeepneys stopped plying their routes to avoid the risk of apprehension, leaving hundreds of commuters without any means of transportation prompting some private schools to stop face-to-face classes.
They were then given two weeks to continue operating while discussions on how to address their concerns regarding the modernization program.*