Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 26) — The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) on Saturday denied traditional jeepneys will be phased out in the coming months amid the government’s modernization program for public utility vehicles.
“May mga agam-agam kasi, lalo na sa mga PUJ (public utility jeepneys), na after April, after March 2022 ay ipe-phase out na daw ang mga jeep. Wala naman po itong katotohanan,” LTFRB executive director Maria Kristina Cassion told a public briefing.
[Translation: The PUJ sector is worried that traditional jeepneys might be phased out after April or after March 2022. That’s not true.]
In December last year, the LTFRB Central Visayas said it received a memorandum circular stating that traditional jeepneys will be phased out starting April 1 this year.
However, Cassion said the modernization of jeepneys by transitioning to Euro 4 compliant vehicles will take time.
“We all know naman na it will take time para sa mga ganito at wala namang nagsasabi. At hindi naman nagsasabi na by March 2022 ay phased out na agad,” she said.
[Translation: We all know that this will take time and no one’s saying it. There’s no announcement that jeepneys will be phased out by March 2022.]
The government’s PUV modernization program started in 2017 with the aim of improving and making the transport sector more environmentally sustainable. But some transport groups described the program as anti-poor, as drivers will shoulder the burden of modernizing their vehicles.
