Around 460 modernized jeepneys are now plying across Ilocos region, according to the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB).
Of the total number, 314 are in Pangasinan, 28 in La Union, 71 in Ilocos Sur, and 47 in Ilocos Norte, LTFRB Ilocos Region director Cristal Sibayan said during a phone interview on Wednesday.
The modernized jeepneys are running along both existing and newly designated routes as determined by local government units (LGUs) through the Local Public Transport Route Plans (LPTRPs), which form part of the government’s Public Utility Vehicle (PUV) modernization program.
Sibayan highlighted that industry consolidation –where jeepney drivers and operators organize into cooperatives or corporations— has reached 98.19 percent in the region, making it one of the top implementers of the modernization initiative.
“With this consolidation, monitoring operators have become more efficient,” he said.
The LPTRPs aim to help identify profitable and sustainable routes for PUVs.
Meanwhile, the Service Contracting Program is expected to benefit around 2,000 cooperatives this year, following its assistance to 1,574 cooperatives in 2024.
Under the Service Contracting Program, operators will be compensated for providing public transportation services based on performance indicators such as number of passengers, routes covered, and frequency of trips.
The goal is to enhance service delivery while ensuring the safety and convenience of passengers.
The program, which is part of the government’s efforts to ensure continued public transportation services amid challenging times, will subsidize the operational costs of public transport, he said.
“We will implement intermunicipality this year unlike the intercity routes in the past years,” Sibayan said. (Hilda Austria)
(Source: Philippine News Agency)