MPTC unit to buy more modern jeepneys

Byahe, a unit of Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. (MPTC), said on Tuesday it is spending P1.5 billion to acquire 500 more units of modern and electric jeepneys to be deployed across the Philippines within the next five years.

Laurence Bahia, the CEO of Byahe, said the group intends to grow its fleet of modern jeepneys from 30 units to 530 units by 2027.

Broken down, Byahe will acquire 200 electric vehicles (evs) and 300 modern jeepneys.

“a modern jeepney would cost around P2.1 million and an ev [is about]…p5.5 million. [We will spend] P1.5 billion in total and we have investors who are very keen on investing into evs. But they’re also looking at the path to sustainability [and that’s] the reason why we’re introducing a lot of innovations to make the operating of the jeepneys viable,” Bahia said in a press briefing on Tuesday.

Byahe is targeting to deploy 15 units of jeepney on 35 routes across its existing network, as well as new routes in “Cebu, Davao, Region 3,” among others.

The company intends to “modernize not only the vehicles, but also the way public transport is operated.”

aside from using electric jeepneys, which reduce carbon emissions from 3.5 traditional jeepneys, Byahe also provides salaries to drivers. It is also developing a jeepney information app that will provide commuters with visibility over the estimated time of arrival of their modern jeepney.

Byahe was launched in 2021 as a “corporate consolidator” of operators in the public utility jeepney sector. It currently operates seven routes in Metro Manila, Pampanga, and Cabanatuan.

It was co-founded by Brian Cu, the former president of Grab Philippines.