MANILA – One of the “bottlenecks” faced by the government’s jeepney modernization program is the supply of compliant units, a transport official said.
Speaking to dzMM Teleradyo, Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) chairman Martin Delgra III said a total of 180,000 jeepneys need to be modernized.
“Kaya mabagal ng konti, I may say, among which, yung bottleneck dito ay yung supply,” Delgra said.
The government is urging local manufacturers and importers to produce units that are compliant with the Department of Environmental Resources (DENR) and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) standards, Delgra said.
He said the government has given out 96 routes covering almost 2,000 units.
Some groups have also rolled out their own public utility jeepneys including the Taguig – Pateros Service Cooperative.
The Taguig Service Coop launched its PUVs early Wednesday, which will ply the Bagumbayan (Taguig) to Pasig route via San Joaquin, while the Pateros – Fort Bonifacio Transport Coop will ply the Gate 3 of Fort Bonifacio to Guadalupe Market, the Department of Transportation said.
The Taguig – Pateros transport service has compliant units, consolidated franchise and fleet management system, Delgra said.
Meanwhile, the Senate Employees Transport Service Cooperative or SETSCO announced last June that it was the second operator to secure a franchise under the government’s modernization program.
The SETSCO has 35 modern jeeps in total which will ply the Star City/CCP – PICC and GSIS – Senate – MOA – PITX and back, the DOTr said.
Fifteen out of the 35 were already operational. (ABS-CBN News)
