By Raymond Carl Dela Cruz | Philippine News Agency
Public utility vehicle (PUV) drivers and operators, as well as their passengers, will soon have increased earnings and discounted fares, respectively, in over 800 PUV routes nationwide as part of the government’s Service Contracting Program (SCP).
In a press conference in San Juan City on Friday, Department of Transportation (DOTr) Sec. Giovanni Lopez said the SCP, scheduled to begin on April 15, aims to address the reduced earnings of PUV drivers and operators due to increasing oil prices.
“At nagbawas na rin po sila ng kanilang biyahe. At kung limitado ang pagpapatakbo, kung wala nang pumapasada, talo po pareho ang ating operator, driver at ang ating pasahero,” he said.
In response, Lopez said the SCP has been given a budget of P1 billion—P800 million for road transport and P200 million for maritime transport— to provide the “net” type of SCP in 823 routes nationwide, with 545 feeder routes in Metro Manila, Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal.
An estimated 1,000 transport operators with 50,000 PUV units and around 15 million daily passengers are estimated to benefit from the SCP.
Under the net SCP, drivers and operators of buses on the EDSA Busway will earn P100 per kilometer while their passengers will have a 20% fare discount, on top of the 20% discount for students, senior citizens, and persons with disabilities.
On the other hand, modern and jeepneys and UV express drivers and operators will earn P40 per kilometer, while traditional jeepneys will earn P30 per kilometer, and their passengers will have the same discount.
In addition, there will be “feeder” routes with a 50% discount to passengers that will take them to relay stops along the Light Rail Transit Line 2, the Metro Rail Transit Line 3, and the EDSA Busway.
Participating PUVs will have posters displayed inside the vehicle showing the discounted fare matrix.
The SCP will be available five days a week and only during off-peak hours.
To validate their participation in the program, PUVs may be equipped with GPS monitoring for a monthly fee of P500, in addition to manual monitoring by traffic enforcers for PUVs that cannot afford GPS monitoring.
Earnings from the SCP will be issued to operators and drivers on a weekly basis and will be subject to validation and verification.
“Mas masisiguro natin ang mga drivers and operators na kasama dito sa net SCP ay makakaroon talaga sila ng kita araw-araw,” Lopez said.
SCP budgeted until July
Moreover, he said the P1-billion funding is enough to run the SCP until July, but negotiations with the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) and the Office of the President are ongoing for additional funding to extend the SCP.
“Inutusan nga po ng ating Pangulo [Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.] na hanapin ng pondo — humingi kami ng additional PHP5 billion para lang pahabain natin itong program,” Lopez said.
