Our old jeepneys — time to move on

JEEPNEY operators should be resigned by now to the inevitability of the phaseout of their old units by July, 2020. They staged another jeepney strike last Monday but, despite some claims of its success, it did not appear to have caused much disruption in the daily work schedule of Metro Manilans.

Part of the reason was the government’s preemptive action of suspending classes. Other public transport systems also were able to make up for the usual services of jeepneys.

It has been two years since the Department of Transportation announced the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program. Vehicle modernization was only one of its components. Another was a new system for the issuance of new franchises, devolving the function of route planning to local governments, as they are deemed to be more knowledgeable about local roads and passenger demand than the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB)..

But the principal part of the program is the phase-out of old jeepneys, some of which date back to the Liberation period as they were originally based on the American Armed Forces jeep. The jeepneys will now be replaced with vehicles with either Euro-diesel engines or electric motors, to provide safer travel while helping to mitigate the ill effects of climate change. One study reportedly found that an old jeepney ran about two kilometers per liter of diesel, while newer engines can make 12 to 14 kilometers on the same amount of fuel.

The major complaint of jeepney operators was the cost; the new units would cost P1.2 to P1.8 million each but operators have been offered seven-year loans at 6 percent interest, plus subsidies from the LTRFRB and Congress totalling P170,000. The LTFRB has reported that some 5,600 jeepney operators have already taken advantage of the aid program.

It is truly time to move on. Many Metro Manilans have already taken to using other transport systems, including light rails, buses, UV public service vans, app-based ride hailing services, and taxis. The government has made as much allowance as it can over the years in the form of loan offers and subsidies.

Many people continue to prefer jeepneys because of the lower fares and their familiar and shorter routes. We need them but they have to move with the times. Let us have no further postponement of the deadline for the phaseout of these relics of the war years.