THE 1,500 slots made available for Cebu for Transport Network Vehicle Services (TNVS) applications since 2018 have not all been used up.
In fact, there are still 250 slots available, according to Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board in Central Visayas (LTFRB 7) Director Eduardo Montealto Jr.
Montealto, on Tuesday, February 7, 2023, said these should all be used up before additional slots for TNVS are made available in Cebu.
LTFRB Chairman Teofilo Guadiz recently announced that 100,000 vehicles and motorcycles will be registered as TNVS under the management of Grab Philippines in Cebu and the cities of Davao, Bacolod and Iloilo.
Montealto said he is worried that the influx of TNVS will affect the operation of 6,000 taxis in Cebu.
“Ato sa nang hutdon. Atong tanawon ang demand kon mahurot na okay na. Tanawon nato ang ubang denomination kay basin butangan nato ang daghan TNVS wala nay manakay sa taxi,” he said. “Pero kung nakita sa study sa Central Office nga angayan nang butangan okay ra kay sila man nag-study.”
(Let’s use up all the slots first. Let’s look at the demand if it runs out then okay. Let’s look at the other denominations because if we allow a lot of TNVS no one will ride taxis anymore. However, if the Central Office found in its study that additional TNVS are needed then it’s okay since they conducted the study.)
He said they are currently processing many applications for the 250 slots that are leftovers from the administration of former President Rodrigo Duterte.
Guadiz had said the 100,000 TNVS units will continue to increase until these can take care of passenger demand.
He estimated that the additional 100,000 TNVS units will generate 500,000 new jobs in the four cities. (PAC, PJB)