The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) is taking action against jeepney drivers who haven’t followed the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program (PUVMP) by joining cooperatives.
PUVMP stands for the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program. It began in 2017 with the goal of replacing old jeepneys with newer vehicles that have engines meeting Euro 4 emissions standards. This is meant to reduce pollution and get rid of vehicles that are no longer safe for the road. However, the program is encountering difficulties, such as the high price of modern jeepney units, which can exceed PHP2 million.
LTFRB Chairman Teofilo Guadiz III announced in an interview on Unang Balita that starting May 16, they’ll commence enforcement actions against jeepney drivers who haven’t grouped their public utility vehicles (PUVs) into cooperatives.
Guadiz stressed that PUV operators who missed the April 30, 2024 deadline for consolidation would be breaking the law, and their ungrouped jeepneys would be considered illegal.
Jeepney drivers still running routes from Thursday onwards without consolidating may face a one-year suspension. Their PUVs could also get a PHP50,000 fine and be impounded for 30 days. LTFRB also shared that in Metro Manila alone, there are 1,900 ungrouped jeepneys that won’t be part of the PUVMP anymore.
The Department of Transportation (DOTr) previously said that operators and drivers who didn’t join cooperatives would lose their franchises “a week or two” after the April 30 consolidation deadline.
What happens to jeepney drivers who haven’t joined cooperatives under the PUV Modernization Program?