The Office of Transportation Cooperatives (OTC) on Saturday said “it is not the end of the line for the jeepney operators and drivers” who cannot consolidate before the government deadline.
In a news forum, OTC chairperson Andy Ortega said that public utility vehicle (PUV) operators and drivers are allowed to join other cooperatives as the government continues implementing its PUV modernization program.
The OTC said the government will extend necessary assistance to all drivers of unconsolidated jeepneys and UV Express to find employment within transport cooperatives and corporations.
“Our next phase is to help those drivers of units whose operators did not consolidate,” Ortega said, adding that the OTC has already reached out to cooperatives nationwide.
Ortega said the affected drivers may join transport cooperatives or corporations to continue working as PUV drivers.
According to the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB), at least 190,000 units of PUVs have been consolidated across the country.
Since the start of the program in 2017, at least 1,728 cooperatives and corporations have been established.
LTFRB board member Riza Marie Paches allayed fears expressed by drivers and operators of traditional jeepneys that their units would be phased out at once.
Patches said all consolidated traditional jeepneys could still operate until they could be replaced with more environment-friendly vehicles 27 months after the issuance of their permit to operate.
Meanwhile, Ortega said the DOTr is addressing the Commission on Human Rights’ call for a “balanced and considerate approach” in the implementation of the PUV modernization program (PUVMP).
Ortega said the DOTr would likewise assist the transportation operators who opted to apply for consolidation.
With the PUVMP, Ortega said the country would see improved dispatching that may soon cater to the riding public round the clock.
Meanwhile, Ortega assured the public that these transport groups have the freedom to choose the suppliers of their vehicles amid concerns about pricey imported minibuses.
The official further said the modernization plan’s goal is to provide drivers with fixed earnings and the same benefits and protections as other workers.
The modernization program would also remove the “boundary system,” where a driver is obligated to pay the operator of a PUV a regular fee commonly called “boundary.”
Previously, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. set a Dec. 31 deadline for the consolidation.
The permits issued to individual operators in all routes without a consolidated Transport Service Entity (TSE) have been effectively revoked as of Jan. 1, 2024, following the expiration of the consolidation deadline.
The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) earlier issued a memorandum allowing individual operators in routes with less than 60 percent TSEs or zero consolidated TSEs to operate until Jan. 31.