THE Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board-Davao Region (LTO-Davao) has increased its Public Utility Vehicle (PUV) consolidation rate to 88 percent as of January 2026, up two percentage points from the 86 percent recorded in January 2024 for units outside Davao City.
Deanne Aubrey Salcedo, legal section assistant of LTFRB-Davao, said during the Kapihan sa PIA, on Friday, January 23, 2026, at the NCCC Mall Ma-a, that from 2025 to January 2026, they have consolidated 88 percent of all units in total.
In a SunStar Davao report on January 14, 2024, the region had consolidated 83 percent of Public Utility Jeepneys and 89 percent of UV Express units, with 100 percent submission rate for applications and 73 modernized Public Utility Vehicles in operation. The government had set December 31, 2023, as the national consolidation deadline, with routes categorized by whether they met a 60 percent consolidation threshold.
Oscar Don A. Zamora, Head of the Davao City North District Land Transportation Office, noted how consolidated units have helped ease traffic congestion for commuters in Davao Region.
“During rush hour, sa highways, makita nato nga mag tapok-tapok ang mga pasahero... so, sa mga schools, malls... even diha sa SM around 9 p.m. wala pay masakyan ang mga commuters nato. So dako kaayo’g tabang na naa na tay mga operators nato,” he said.
(During rush hour on the highways, we can see passengers gathering. In schools and malls — even around SM at about 9 p.m. — our commuters still have no rides. So it is a big help that we now have transport operators.)
To recall, the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board released guidelines under Memorandum Circular 2023-051 for implementing the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program (PUVMP) after the consolidation application deadline, which took effect on January 1, 2024.
The agency revoked permits and Provisional Authorities (PAs) for individual Public Utility Vehicle (PUVs) operators on all routes without a consolidated TSEs. Operators who missed the deadline to consolidate or file applications will not have their units approved for Public Utility Vehicle registration.
The Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program in Davao Region has made steady progress since the 2023 consolidation deadline, reaching 88 percent rate by January 2026 with expanded vehicle types and major transport entities. The initiative now serves over 1.3 million riders and has brought tangible improvements to commuter access and traffic flow. Moving forward, the region is poised to build on these gains as it continues to modernize its fleet and strengthen transport infrastructure. ALEXA JULIANA P. FRANCISCO