ILOILO City – Jeepneys here may only accommodate passengers to a maximum of 70 percent of their seating capacity to ensure physical distancing.
This policy is contained in Mayor Jerry Treñas’ Executive Order No. 004 implementing protocols under Alert Level 3.
Raymundo Parcon, president of the Iloilo City Loop Alliance of Jeepney Operators and Drivers’ Association (ICLAJODA), said their more or less 5,000 members are following the passenger limit.
The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) and Land Transportation Office (LTO) recently said violators (drivers and/or operators) would be fined for “overloading” – between P5,000 and P6,000.
Parcon said drivers may revive the plastic barriers to ensure physical distancing in jeepneys.
“Ang isa pa ka option sang drivers amo ang pagbutang sang separator or lubid or markings,” Parcon told Panay News.
The 70 percent cap in passengers means a drop in the income of drivers, said Parcon.
For their part, Rizal Alido, president of the Iloilo City Alliance of Operators and Drivers Transport Cooperative (ICAODTC), said they have started implementing, too, the 70 percent seating capacity in modernized jeepneys.
To ensure this, each modernized jeepney unit has a “passenger assistance officer”, added Alido.
He appealed for the cooperation of passengers./PN
