The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board-Cordillera said the implementation of the public utility vehicle modernization program (PUVMP) in the country is in full swing.
Lalaine Sobremonte, LTFRB-CAR officer-in-charge, said they are hoping the various transport groups will file their intent to modernize before June 30.
“We have not received any (intention) yet for consolidation. We hope that they would conform by June which is the deadline,” Sobremonte said.
Under consolidation, PUV owners are required to form an organization or a cooperative, under which the franchises will be named, to ensure continued service for the commuters.
The group will be responsible in paying for the PUVMP-compliant vehicle, Sobremonte said.
The PUVMP is not merely focused on vehicle modernization. It is a comprehensive system reform that will change the public land transportation industry in the country.
It features a regulatory reform and sets new guidelines for the issuance of the franchise for road-based public transport services, focusing on roadworthiness and continued service for the commuters.
Sobremonte said PUV owners who fail to comply with the requirements of the modernization will face consequences.
“Transport groups who will not comply with the program will be given a probationary authority to operate which is good for one year if they can show a certification from the Land Transportation Office that their vehicles are roadworthy. However, their routes will be opened to any organization that can enter and apply for the route,” Sobremonte said.
Some transport groups in the Cordillera opposed the modernization plan, saying the modern vehicles are not suitable to the terrain of the Cordillera. – PNA with a report from Reian Viernes
July 27, 2024
