Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista said Thursday that the phase-out of traditional jeepneys will only happen once there is enough modern jeepneys and not on the December 31 deadline of the public utility vehicle (PUV) modernization program.

“The phaseout will happen when we have enough number of new vehicles. The number of jeepneys that we have all over the country is about 180,000. Since the start of the PUV modernization in 2017, only a little over 6,000 jeepneys were modernized,” Bautista told dzBB.

According to Bautista, modernized jeepneys should comply with the Philippine National Standards which means the doors should be placed on the right, seats should be comfortable, the roof should be higher and the gas being used is either Euro 4 or Euro 5 so it can lessen carbon emissions.

He said it may take time to replace the traditional jeepneys because of problems with production.

“I know that you cannot just suddenly replace the old vehicles. We should have the right production number here in the Philippines or we can import. That’s why I explained to them as long as the vehicle is still roadworthy we will allow it to run while we still don’t have new ones,” he said.

Bautista maintained that the Dec. 31 deadline was not for the phase-out but for the consolidation of jeepney drivers and operators.

“The deadline that we are talking about is not on the replacement of jeepneys. The deadline is for their consolidation, wherein they have to be members of a cooperative or corporation,” he said.

“As part of a cooperative or corporation, they will work together. They will not compete for passengers. If they are a group that is properly managed, then dispatching will go smoothly, the vehicles will have proper maintenance, and drivers will be paid well,” he added. Jaspearl Tan/DMS