OFFICERS of the Federation of Cebu Transport Cooperatives (FCTC) identified the high cost of fuel, passenger behavior, high monthly amortization, expensive and unavailable spare parts, daily quota, undisciplined drivers including of those using traditional jeepney units, and traffic congestion as major contributors to the multiple incidents of passengers airing their complaints against conductors and drivers of modern public utility vehicles (MPUV) who overload their units.
In an interview on “Beyond the Headlines,” SunStar Cebu’s online news and commentary program on Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2023, Ellen Maghanoy, president of the FCTC or the operators of the MPUVs in Cebu, said they require their drivers and conductors a daily quota of P7,000.
The daily quota has to be achieved as much as possible, as this will determine whether the cooperative can pay all its dues including the monthly amortization, wages of its drivers, public assistance officer and its employees, and other expenses.
According to the Department of Transportation technical specifications, a modern jeepney can carry 18-24, in addition to the maximum of eight standing passengers.
It also depends on the size and model of the unit and its class configuration of Class 1, 2 or 3, as some do not allow standing passengers.
According to LTFRB Memorandum Circular 2021-002, PUJs are classified into classes depending on their overall height, width and length. Class 1 PUJs have a height (floor-to-ceiling) of 150 centimeters, maximum width of 175 cm, and length of 450 cm. Under Classes 2 (side-facing seats) and 3 (front-facing seats) are those with 175 cm height, 235 cm width and 700 cm length.
Modern jeepneys are also powered by a fuel-efficient engine, air conditioning and other safety features.
On the other hand, the traditional jeepney can carry an average of 18 passengers, and with modifications it can accommodate 20 passengers.
Quota
In her breakdown of the P7,000 quota, P3,000 is for the diesel fuel consumption, then a range of P1,800-P2,000 will be deducted as payment for the monthly amortization of the units, while P1,500 goes to the drivers’ and conductors’ salaries and wages.
The remaining P500 will be shared among repair and maintenance expenses and miscellaneous expenses plus the administrative and garage fees; therefore, Maghanoy said, the cooperative can spare only a few pesos if their unit can deliver only the daily quota.
Even though government assistance such as the equity subsidy for the down payment of the unit at P280,000 per unit helps in their monthly amortization on the loan for the purchase of the modern jeepney, solving the traffic situation in Metro Cebu so that they can have more trips during rush hour, instead of being stuck in traffic, which means they can accommodate more passengers, can help to enable them to repay their loans.
She said the government subsidy helped the cooperative in the financing of the loans for the purchase of the much more practical and efficient MPUV units.
However, during rush hour, from 6 to 8 a.m. and from 5 to 8 p.m., she said their unit traversing the downtown area to the Talamban area and vice versa in Cebu City, instead of the usual six to seven round trips before, can achieve only four to five trips daily traversing the heavily congested Talamban road.
The traffic situation on Natalio Bacalso Avenue in Cebu City due to the ongoing construction of the Cebu Bus Rapid Transit has also affected the ability of the cooperative’s drivers plying Bulacao to Colon, Colon to Cebu IT Park or Guadalupe and vice versa to reach their daily number of trips and quota.
Maghanoy suggested that in consideration of the public transportation woes, the authorities open alternative roads, implement rerouting of modern and traditional jeepneys to enhance traffic flow especially at rush hour and amid streets undergoing repairs or improvements, as these are seen to increase daily trips and passengers commuting.
Consolidation
FCTC also seeks the expedition of the consolidation of the traditional jeepney drivers and operators into cooperatives, the deadline for which consolidation has been set on Dec. 31, 2023, as well as the full implementation of the modernization program of the country’s public transportation.
Full implementation of the modernization program can solve the country’s transportation problem due to its provision of fleet management and dispatching of MPUVs, which enables operators to determine how many of their units to dispatch on the road during rush hour.
Maghanoy said even though their drivers followed traffic laws and proper drop-off and pick-up areas, this was not practical for them as there were erring traditional jeepney drivers who did not follow these traffic laws, prompting them to compete with these drivers to accommodate more passengers.
This leads to unsafe and dangerous driving habits of their drivers, posing a danger to their passengers.
She added that they were not against traditional jeepney drivers, as they were only earning money to feed their families; however, their presence and practices should be not detrimental to other transport providers who have embraced modernization.
Maghanoy also raised the issue of passengers’ behavior, especially during rush hour, in particular the pleas of some passengers to get on the MPUVs, even if they have to stand, despite the MPUV units also reaching capacity.
Last Friday, Pagkakaisa ng mga Samahan ng Tsuper at Opereytor Nationwide (Piston) in Cebu announced that at least 200 of its driver and operator members would conduct a transport strike and protest on Wednesday, Nov. 22 to oppose the Dec. 31 deadline for the consolidation of drivers and operators under the national government’s PUV Modernization Program. The group also objects to what it says are the overpriced modern mini-buses operators should franchise to replace the traditional ones.
Collection system
Maghanoy also asked the authorities to provide a unified provider of an Automatic Fare Collection System (AFCS), which can be used not only to collect passenger fare equally among different MPUV units, but also to determine if certain units have already reached their seating capacity.
This would also solve the issues of false remittance of the drivers and conductors of the daily income to the cooperative as the AFCS has a transparent fare collection system that includes printing out receipts to its passengers.
On the issue of the drivers’ and conductors’ “arrogant” treatment of their passengers, she said their employees had undergone seminars and training frequently on how to handle passengers’ concerns.
However, there are times when misunderstanding between the drivers, conductors and passengers is inevitable, hence, she asked the general public for consideration and understanding.