(PIA-NCR File Photo)

QUEZON CITY, (PIA) -- President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Wednesday, January 25, approved the recommendation of the Department of Transportation (DOTr) to extend the deadline for franchise consolidation of public utility vehicles (PUVs) until April 30, 2024. 

The 3-month extension intends to allow more transport groups to join the PUV modernization program that is geared towards improving the environmental sustainability of the country’s transportation system. 

“This extension is to give an opportunity to those who expressed intention to consolidate but did not make the previous cut-off,” said the Presidential Communications Office (PCO), in line with the previous January 31 deadline of the franchise consolidation. 

Transport Secretary Jaime Bautista noted that 76 percent of the target PUVs have already submitted their application for consolidation prior to the deadline extension.  

This translates to 190,000 units of PUVs comprising jeepneys (75 percent), UV express (82 percent),  buses (86 percent), and mini buses (45 percent), among others. 

For his part, Land Transportation Office (LTO) Chairperson Teofilo Guadiz highlighted the initiative of various transport groups who expressed their intention to be part of the modernization program. 

“We assure you that you will not regret it because this is a program that’s geared not only for the transport groups but in the end, the consumers as well–the passengers,” said Guadiz in a media conference following the announcement of the extension. 

Through the extension of the consolidation deadline, the DOTr hopes to have further dialogues between transport groups to develop the guidelines of the modernization program and address the pressing issues concerning implementation. It also seeks to increase the number of PUV units that will consolidate, particularly in the National Capital Region (NCR). 

“We still believe the program’s benefit outweighs its perceived deficiency,” Secretary Bautista stressed. 

Transport groups will also be allowed to form their own cooperatives within the extension period instead of joining existing cooperatives in the matter of standardizing the industry and overall operations of PUVs. 

The Office of Transport Cooperatives (OTC), the LTFRB, and all the other offices under the DOTr are prepared to extend the needed assistance of those who want to consolidate. 

To date, there are 1,728 cooperatives and corporations in the country since the inception of the PUV modernization program in 2017. 

In light of the deadline extension, unconsolidated jeepneys can still operate without getting sanctioned in terms of franchise given that their PUVs are rightfully registered. (JMP/PIA-NCR)