“If this so-called moderniza tion is implemented, it will mean junking all PUVs like buses, UVs, taxis and jeepneys even if these have already passed the Motor Vehicle Inspection System (MVIS) and Road Worthiness Tests (RWT),” said STOP spokesperson Dan Yumul.
He also said compelling jeepney drivers to buy units costing millions would likely lead to a hike of minimum fare to as much as P25. Yumul warned that “junking the old units will put in jeopardy the livelihood of millions who depend on the transportation sector from the drivers and operators, their families and related businesses.”
“We are talking about more than a million people who will be directly aff ected, excluding commuters,” he said.
Yumul also said the Department of Transportation (DOTr) is bent on implementing its PUV modernization program without waiting for its proposed three-year transition period.
In a statement, STOP said the directive from the DOTr “translates into a phase out of existing units since it will cancel out the vehicle registration which have 15 year-old engines.
It said the DOTr is also pushing to install Euro 4 engines in all PUVs. “Jeepneys will have curbside doors instead of the present design orientation.
PUVs will also be compelled to install the following features in their vehicles—CCTV, GPS, an automatic fare collection machine (AFCS) similar to the MRT system of collecting fares, on top of being WIFI- ready,” STOP also noted.
“Many of us have put so much of our earnings from being overseas Filipino workers into investing in jeepneys for local livelihood to be with our families. Now, the government wants us to let them go, and as quickly, compel us to buy a new unit which can cost more than a million pesos,” Yumul lamented.
He also warned that “even the requirements for franchise renewal will change since it will favor cooperatives under a single fleet management with 10 to 15 units in a particular route, rather than individual operators.”
“LGUs are being assisted by the DOTr in determining new routes. Surprisingly, despite there being no new routes, the DOTr is handing out new franchises to jeepney associations who are plying the same old routes,” he also noted.