Old jeepneys in Bacolod City will have only six months remaining to ply the city’s thoroughfares before being phased out.
The 3,887 public jeepneys that are currently plying the streets of Bacolod have only until March 31, 2023, according to Diego Malacad, secretary general of the Negros Bacolod Transport Coalition. They must then switch to using modern jeepneys, Malacad added.
Malacad said their group in a meeting with Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez discussed their concerns with Regional Director Richard Osmeña of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board.
At the meeting, Benitez asked the LTFRB for special permits or provisional authorities for the old jeepneys to continue operating until next year.
Malacad added that the mayor has requested to hold off any apprehensions while he raise the concern to Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista.
If these jeepney aren’t granted provisional authorities to operate, Bacolod City will not have enough jeepneys to cater the public, said Malacad.
While the LTFRB has previously identified 24 routes that will utilize 1,099 units under a new Local Public Transportation Route Plan during the implementation of the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program (PUVMP), only a handful of operators have shifted to modern jeepneys at present.
In January this year, the City Ordinance (CO) 966, authored by Councilor Dindo Ramos, chairman of the committee on transportation and traffic, adopted the LPTRP and provides policies and guidelines for its implementation.
