‘King of the road’ prepares to retire
The “King of the Road” will soon “retire” and pass the title to a modern jeepney so different from the folk icon that has inspired songs and souvenir items, that it will mark a new beginning in the commuter’s landscape.
That is, if the government plan for the PUV modernization program is implemented, phase by phase starting this year, without further delay by 2020 despite transport strikes and protests.
At least 180,000 jeepneys around the country will be replaced under this program, Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) Chairman Martin Delgra said.
The jeepneys have earned the nickname “King of the Road” for their penchant for stopping anywhere anytime.
And replacing the jeepney – which have been called folk art – will be the e-Jeepney that will be powered by clean electric engines, seating from 20 to 22 passengers, costing from 11.2 million to 11.8 million, and supported by an automated fare collection system much like that of the trains. PUV modernization program The Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program was initiated June 2017 by the Department of Transportation DOTr, to replace jeepneys, 15 years and older, with modern vehicles powered by clean engines and having safety features such as a speed limiter, closed-circuit television camera (CCTV), GPS, and dashboard camera, and also solar panels on roofs.
Last year, the DOTr presented the prototypes of these e-jeeps. Aside from new engines and features, the jeeps under PUVMP, with 22-passenger seating capacity, will also have an automated fare collection system like the current payment system used in the LRT and MRT.
Included in the modernization program will be a training program for drivers and the introduction of an accreditation program to improve the quality of the drivers.
Starting in Tacloban The program was initially scheduled to be implemented in January 2018. It was only partially started on January 23 in Tacloban City where 45 units of ejeeps were deployed there which is now following the “one route, one franchise” policy.
Chairman Delgra said that Tacloban will become the template of the PUVMP in other parts of the country.
In the next three months, the DOTr said modern jeepneys are also expected to ply in Metro Manila after several transport organizations and vehicle manufacturers committed to come out with more than 3,000 units in support of the PUVMP, which will gradually improve the commuting experience, said Transportation Undersecretary Tim Orbos.
New franchising guideline
To show that the government is seriously paving the way for the PUV modernization program, the Omnibus Franchising Guidelines (OFG) was signed recently. Orbos explained that new guidelines for issuing public transportation franchises will be in accordance with the LGU’s public transport plans where routes are based on passenger demand and the existing road network.
Included in the guidelines is the rule that approved franchises will have safe, comfortable, and environmentally sustainable vehicles.
Old jeepney phaseout
The second step in the program came on January 8 with the “Tanggal Bulok, Tanggal Usok” campaign which checked jeepneys for smoke emissions, suspension, brake lights, tires, and other features that add to the safety of the vehicle.
By February 15, the DOTr, through the Inter-Agency Council on Traffic (I-ACT), had apprehended 1,635 smokebelching and rickety jeepney units.
The apprehended jeepneys are required to meet the guidelines of the motor vehicle inspection system (MVIS) before they can ply their routes again. Vehicles that fail the series of “roadworthiness” tests will not be allowed to travel their routes.
Meanwhile, vehicles deemed “roadworthy” or those that passed smoke emission tests and meet other guidelines, will be allowed to ply their routes only for two to three years only, the transition period in clearing the roads of the present-day jeeps.
After the transition period, operators can apply to operate new or modified routes introduced by local governments in their local public transport plans.
Protests against jeepney phaseout
The program has been met with much protest from transport groups. Pinagkaisang Samahan ng Tsuper at Opereytor Nationwide (PISTON), one of the groups, had staged protest actions against the modernization program, which led to the arrest of its leader George San Mateo.
According to San Mateo, the current PUVMP is anti-poor. He said that the government’s “jeepney phaseout” program will result in making thousands of jeepney drivers jobless.
Mang Jun, jeepney driver
One of them will be 46-year-old Antonio Simangan or Mang Jun, who has been a jeepney driver since he was 19. His income provides for the needs of his family, with some addition from the sari-sari store tended by his wife at their house in Barangay San Vicente, Quezon City.
For 27 years, his income from driving a jeepney allowed Mang Jun to send his five children to school. His eldest is a college graduate, and his third child is expected to graduate this year. For Mang Jun, taking away his jeepney means taking away his dream for a better future for his children.
Financial support The PUV Modernization Program, though, will offer livelihood to jeepney drivers like Mang Jun, according to the DOTr who said jeepney drivers will have the security of a monthly salary and benefits which will be provided through cooperatives.
The government is also offering a financing scheme to help jeepney drivers and operators upgrade their fleets, such as a guarantee fund and other incentives which they can avail of on top of the government subsidy.
A modern jeepney will cost from 11.2 million to 11.8 million a unit.
According to LTFRB chairman Delgra, the financial component of the PUVMP commits 180,000 subsidy for every unit covered by a car loan and another 120,000 for scrappage of an old unit.
The DOTr and the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) also signed a memorandum of agreement for a 11.5-billion subsidy under the Program Assistance to Support Alternative Driving Approaches (PASADA) for the initial phase of the PUV modernization plan.
These funds are also on top of the 11billion loan program offered by the Land Bank of the Philippines for those drivers who are members of a cooperative
Not enough – PISTON However, to Piston, the financial scheme is not enough for the drivers to pay for the modern jeepney, that will be payable in seven years.
San Mateo doubts that drivers can earn enough to pay for the amortization of the loan which is about 1800 per day.
Gov’t to blame The transport group blamed the government for the state of the dilapidated jeepneys because they had not attended to the industry for so many years. Instead of the modernization program, they demanded that the government starts rehabilitation of the present jeepneys.
Despite the oppositions, the DOTr officials said that they will implement the modernization program as it is already long overdue and we now have an outdated public transportation system.
3-year transition The transportation department explained that the implementation of the program will not be abrupt and will undergo a three-year transition period. It will start with the regulatory reform (OFG), route rationalization, fleet consolidation, financing for PUJ re-fleeting, social support mechanism, pilot testing, and communication strategy.
During the signing of Memorandum of Agreements between DOTr, transport groups, and vehicle manufacturing companies last February 15, a private transport supplier committed to deliver 20,000 new PUVs per year.
Meanwhile the DOTr expects to implement the program in Metro Manila, Metro Cebu, and Metro Davao within 2018-2019, and then in highly urbanized cities and the rest of the country from 2019-2020.
By 2020, the iconic “King of the Roads” will pass its crown to the modern jeepneys.