By Junex Doronio
MANILA — Trying to diffuse a transportation crisis, the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) on Thursday announced that it is allowing traditional jeepneys that fail to consolidate their franchises this month to ply select routes until Jan. 31, 2024.
The LTFRB board will determine these routes and said show cause order would be issued to non-consolidated drivers and operators during this period.
Several transport groups earlier warned of a possible transport crisis if thousands of traditional jeepneys are forced to stop plying the roads for failing to consolidate into cooperatives or join corporations.
Jeepney drivers and operators have argued that “modern jeepneys” are too expensive and will deprive single-unit operators of route franchises that will only benefit big corporations and transport cooperatives.
Authorities earlier warned traditional jeepneys could lose their permit to operate if they fail to consolidate individual franchises into a single franchise under a cooperative or corporation by Dec. 31, 2023, as part of the public utility vehicle (PUV) modernization program.
The LTFRB, however, in its latest memorandum said non-consolidated individual jeepneys would be allowed to ply routes where less than 60 percent of units are consolidated.
(IAmigo/mnm)
