MANILA — The public may now report smoke belching and dilapidated public utility vehicles (PUVs) through an online platform launched Tuesday by the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and the Inter-Agency Council on Traffic (I-ACT).
The ‘Sumbong Bulok Sumbong Usok’ (SBSU) Hotline is a digital chatbot hotline that may be accessed through the Facebook Messenger of I-ACT.
The public may report vehicles that are no longer roadworthy as well as smoke belching vehicles, colorum PUVs, illegally-parked vehicles, illegal vendors, among others, through posting a photo or a video, and identify the location where the violation was committed through GPS.
The digital platform will encourage citizens to actively participate in effecting positive change on public transport. “This Sumbong Bulok, Sumbong Usok Chatbot hotline is basically citizen empowerment.
The success of this platform in helping realize the objectives of our ‘Tanggal Bulok, Tanggal Usok’ operations will serve as a solid proof that if the government, its people, and technology are put into one, nothing is impossible,” Tugade said in a statement.
A case management system will be integrated on the server of the SBSU platform that will enable I-ACT to swiftly respond on the concerns.
“This platform will not only help citizens send their complaints easily. This will also help our case managers and resolvers monitor the status of concerns. Makikita doon ng DOTr kung anong mga lugar ang pinakamaraming reklamo, at sinong mga ahensya ang hindi sumasagot sa reklamo,” Tugade said.
For his part, DOTr Undersecretary for Road Transport and Infrastructure Tim Orbos said the SBSU hotline shall help expand the enforcement capabilities of I-ACT, especially that most traffic violators and errant drivers come out and ply the streets at night.
I-ACT member agencies such as the DOTr, Philippine National Police- Highway Patrol Group, Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board, Land Transportation Office, and the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority will be receiving, processing, and resolving reports and complaints sent to the SBSU Chatbot Hotline.
The chatbot hotline is a project of DOTr, in partnership with Trufidelity Innovations, a private company who has offered to DOTr I-ACT free use of their digital media platform.
The I-ACT is currently implementing the “Tanggal Usok, Tanggal Bulok” campaign in different parts of Metro Manila, as well as nearby provinces such as Pampanga, Bulacan, and Rizal.
A total of 1,904 PUVs were apprehended for various violations ranging from defective parts, illegally franchised or “colorum” vehicles, to smoke belching since the campaign’s launch last Jan. 8, according to the latest data from the traffic council. (Aerol John Pateña/PNA)
