CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY — New and environment-friendly models of public utility jeepney (PUJs) will be put on display here sometime this month to assure the riding public that the Duterte administration is ready to implement the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program (PUVMP).
Regional Director Aminoden Guro, of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board in Region 10 (LTFRB-10), said operators and drivers will be able to swap their dilapidated jeepneys with the new PUJs at the display center.
Several manufacturers, Guro said, have expressed interest in mass-producing electric PUJs to accommodate the expected demand in the wake of the administration’s transport modernization program.
Based on President Rodrigo Duterte’s executive order, PUJs must be replaced with jeepneys that are either electric, solar-powered or Euro 4-compliant.
Guro said it is high time for the country to modernize its mass transit system that is efficient and clean.
Since the transport sector in the region has put a resistance against the PUVMP in Mindanao, Guro said he wanted the program to have its pilot launch here with the new public vehicle units on display for everyone to see.
“Most people will only believe if they have seen it. That’s why we want the people to see that these e-jeeps are safe aside from being fuel-efficient,” he said.
He said the new PUJ models will have more seating capacity and passengers will be using electronic cards in paying their fare. It also equipped with Global Positioning System (GPS).
“We have planned, prepared, and now ready for implementation, so that the program will be rolling out within this administration’s term, addressing all issues such as route rationalization and PUV manufacturing,” he said.
Guro urged operators and drivers to support the PUVMP.
“You only have two options: Cooperate and benefit from this program, or oppose and get left behind,” he said.
Transport groups in the region such as the Solidarity of Transport Alliance in Northern Mindanao-Pinagkaisang Samahan ng mga Tsuper at Operator Nationwide (Starex-Piston) are worried on the affordability of electric PUJs.
They are also apprehensive on the durability of the new PUJs, especially those that ply long-distance routes. (Jigger J. Jerusalem/PNA)
