MANILA — Unconsolidated jeepney operators who failed to join existing cooperatives or corporations will be tagged as “colorum” after January 31, the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) said on Thursday.
According to LTFRB Chairman Attorney Teofilo Guadiz III, those who will not comply with the consolidation requirement past the end of the January extension given by the board will be strictly banned from plying their routes.
“All those who have not consolidated are classified as colorum, so they will be apprehended,” Guadiz said in a press briefing.
Moreover, Guadiz reminded the unconsolidated operators that a show cause order will be issued to them within the month of January.
“The show cause order is until January 31. We will send a show cause order to all those who have not consolidated,” he said.
“After January 31, you will no longer have a franchise. Your vehicle will be apprehended, and its classification will be considered colorum,” the official added.
Office of Transportation Cooperatives (OTC) Chairman Andy Ortega, on the other hand, assured commuters that the fare on modern jeepneys will not go over P30.
He also reiterated that claims that jeepney fares could spike to P40 to P50 have no basis.
“In the six years of our historical data regarding [the] minimum fare for our modern and traditional jeepneys, in 2017, when the modern jeepney came in, the minimum fare of traditional [jeepney] was P9, the modern [jeepney] was P11; we have a P2 difference,” Ortega said.
“Fast forward six years to 2023; the minimum fare for our traditional jeepneys is now P13, while for our modern jeepneys, it’s P15. The two-peso difference has been retained after six years. If we project five years into the future, according to a study or conclusion by a certain group, it is expected to reach P50; it has no basis,” he explained. (Luisa Cabato © Philippine Daily Inquirer)
