The Department of Transportation (DOTr) and Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) stood firm with the decision to impose a deadline on the consolidation of operators and drivers by forming their own transport juridical entities?cooperatives or corporations, otherwise the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program (PUVMP) will not be implemented, Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista said Thursday.

Bautista clarified that the deadline imposed is for the consolidation of public utility vehicle (PUV) operators and drivers by forming cooperatives or corporations and not the phaseout of jeepneys.

“Kasi kung hindi tayo magbibigay ng deadline, walang susunod. Hindi natin mai-implement itong ating PUV Modernization Program if we don’t impose deadlines,” Bautista said during the Senate hearing on the PUVMP.

“Ang nakita ko nga po ay kailangang magkaroon ng consolidation and sa tingin ko kailangan magkaroon ng deadline hindi pwede maging open ended ito,” he added.

Once operators and drivers have formed their own cooperatives or corporations, the next step would be the implementation of the other components of the program?route rationalization, and improvement of operations through fleet management, among others, Bautista explained.

Bautista said that he already met with transport stakeholders, including operators and drivers to resolve issues surrounding the modernization.

“I have met with a lot of drivers, operators and transport cooperatives, and sa lahat po ng nakausap ko, nai-explain ko sa kanila ang importance nung program at sinusuportahan nila ang program,” he said.

Under the PUV Modernization Program, the road transportation system in the country will be transformed by addressing vehicle safety and quality, route network efficiency, and fleet management, while providing commuters with a modern public utility vehicle that is comfortable, accessible, safe, and affordable.

According to Undersecretary for Road Transport and Infrastructure Mark Steven Pastor, in the next few months, the DOTr and LTFRB will revisit and recalibrate existing policies on the PUVMP to ensure that the strategies do not veer away from the mentioned objectives of the program, especially on the part of improving the welfare of our drivers, operators, and commuters.

The LTFRB has extended the deadline for PUV consolidation until the end of 2023. DOTr