UNCONSOLIDATED public utility vehicles (PUVs) will be tagged as illegally operating and colorum after Jan. 31, an official from the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) XI said.
Atty. Ernest Benz Davila, LTFRB-XI Chief Transportation Development Officer said this during the Kapihan sa PIA on Jan. 12.
The agency’s Joint Administrative Order No. 2014-01 states that a “PUV operating outside of its approved route or area without a prior permit from the Board or outside the exceptions provided under existing memorandum circulars or commonly known as out of line operations.”
Only about 83% of the Public Utility Jeepneys (PUJ) units operating in existing routes outside Davao City and 89% of the UV Express are consolidated.
Davila said those remaining individual operators who did not consolidate are unconfirmed in their office and did not renew their license in the Land Transportation Office (LTO).
“There is an inference that they are no longer operating, the franchise is no longer active, so they did not consolidate anymore,” he added.
At present, the consolidated unit operators are in the process of complying necessary requirements including loaning to acquire modernized units. As of now, there are 73 operational modernized PUVs in Davao del Sur.
LTFRB chair Teofilo Guadiz said they will start apprehending operators who lapsed the Jan. 31 allowable operations, given their franchise is already revoked after Dec. 31, 2023.
The 30-day period is to give leeway for the LTFRB to observe due process for operators non-compliant with the Dec. 31 application consolidation deadline.
The LTFRB issued Board Resolution No. 002 series of 2024, extending the authority to operate units of all unconsolidated individual operators until the end of the month.
“ Whereas, cognizant of the logistical requirements in preparing the list of routes covered under those with 60% and above consolidated NAU, the Board deemed it proper to extend the authority of all affected unconsolidated individual operators while finalizing the list of said routes,” Board resolution reads.
