• CHERYL G. CRUZ
The Bacolod Sangguniang Panlungsod has called on the LTFRB to immediately act on the motion for reconsideration filed by operators of traditional public utility jeepneys (TPUJs) for provisional authority to operate.
“In the interest of public convenience and the orderly regulation of public transportation, the LTFRB is requested to consider granting provisional authority to qualified traditional jeepney operators to operate as public utility vehicles for hire while their motion for reconsideration remains pending,” the SP said in approving the resolution authored by Councilor Dindo Ramos.
Ramos, chairperson of the SP Committee on Transportation and Traffic, noted that several traditional jeepneys continue to ply the streets of Bacolod without the authority to operate for hire, and such “raises concerns regarding regulatory compliance, passenger safety, accountability, and the orderly delivery of public transportation services within the City.”
The prolonged pendency of the motion for reconsideration (MR) places the affected operators in a state of uncertainty, and leaves unresolved the legal status of their continued operations, he stressed. “There is need for the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board to act on the matter with dispatch.”
Per the Public Transport Modernization Program (PTMP), drivers and operators of PUJs must form as cooperatives, or undergo consolidation. The permits or franchises of those who did not apply for consolidation will not be renewed, and their continued operation considered colorum.
Ramos said several operators of traditional jeepneys have filed MRs before the LTFRB, seeking reconsideration of the denial or non-grant of the authority to operate their respective vehicles.
He called on the LTFRB to clarify the interim operating status of the affected traditional jeepneys, or immediately act on their MRs, to ensure compliance with applicable transportation regulations and the continued public transportation services in Bacolod. | CGC
