QUEZON CITY (PIA) — The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) has reopened the application process for Public Utility Vehicles (PUVs) consolidation, which will run until November 29, 2024.
On national radio, LTFRB chairman Teofilo Guadiz III said on Thursday, Oct. 17, that the agency decided to reopen the application for consolidation of unconsolidated jeepney drivers for 45 days, following a request from the Senate.
PUV drivers and operators are required to consolidate as part of the government’s public transport modernization program (PTMP), formerly known as the PUV Modernization Program (PUVMP).
Quadiz warned drivers and operators that failure to apply for consolidation within the 45-day extended period would have their transport operations considered “colorum” or illegal.
In another report, Guadiz said that the reopening of applications for consolidation began on Oct. 15 and will run until Nov. 29; applications submitted after this date will not be accepted.
He also said that newly-consolidated drivers and operators will automatically be eligible for a P10,000 fuel subsidy, adding that upon submitting the application, the applicant is automatically qualified.
“We will enroll you in Landbank, and you can already withdraw your funds,” Guadiz was quoted as saying in the report.
However, he clarified that unconsolidated drivers and operators can only join existing cooperatives and cannot form new ones.
The final deadline for consolidation was initially set for April 30, 2024, after being extended several times from its original deadline of Dec. 31, 2023.
Transport groups such as Piston and Manibela have been challenging the LTFRB’s memorandum circulars on the consolidation and modernization program before the Supreme Court since December 2023. But the High Court has yet to issue a restraining order to halt its implementation.
The government’s PUV modernization program, which began in 2017, aims to replace traditional jeepneys with vehicles that have at least a Euro 4-compliant engine—a vehicle emissions standard that was mandated in January 2005. (PIA DMD)
