The rush to phase out public utility vehicles (PUVs) out of the street may create a transportation crisis, according to the Samahan ng mga Tsuper at Operator na Tutol sa Phase Out or STOP.
In a statement, STOP said the “Department of Transportation (DOTr) cannot wait to implement its so-called “PUV Modernization” under DOTr 2017- 011 instead of waiting for the end of the three-year transition period.
STOP Spokesperson Dan Yumul today said STOP assembled its affiliated federations and associations from all over Luzon in its General Assembly at SALAKOT, near the Clark Special Economic Zone Gate.
According to Yumul, if the so-called modernization will be implemented, it will mean junking all PUVs like buses, UVs, taxis and jeepneys even in these has already passed the Motor Vehicle Inspection System (MVIS) and Road Worthiness Tests (RWT).
The assembly which gathered more than a thousand federation officers from Baguio, Bataan, Zambales, Bulacan, Tarlac, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Rizal and Quezon met at 9am in San Fernando Junction and travelled by caravan to SALAKOT at Angeles, Pampanga.
The group will be joined by Workers for People’s Liberation (WPL) and Kilusan para sa Pambansang Demokrasya (KILUSAN) at 3pm for a short program. By 5:30 pm, the group plans to hold a torch parade to the CLARK Main Gate to cap off their assembly.
In STOP’s briefer on the issue, the directive from the DOTr translates into a phase out of existing units since it will (1) cancel out the vehicle registration of engines which have 15 year-old engines; (2) push to install Euro 4 engines in all PUVs; (3) jeepneys will have curb-side doors instead of the present design orientation;(4) PUVs are compelled to install the following features in their vehicles—CCTV, GPS, an automatic fare collection machine (AFCS) similar to the MRT system of collecting fares and WIFI-ready.
Junking the old units will put in jeopardy the livelihood of millions who depend on the transportation sector from the drivers and operators, their families and related businesses. “We are talking about more than a million people who will be directly affected, excluding commuters,” said Yumul.
“Many of us has sunk in their retirement or the fruit of years of working abroad into our jeeps. Now, the government wants us to let it go, and as quick, compel us to buy a new unit which can cost more than a million pesos, “lamented Yumul, adding, “it will force many of us to buy it on credit and mire us in debt for years to come and can bloat the fare to as much as 25 pesos from the present 8 pesos minimum,”.
Even the requirements for franchise renewal will change since it will favour cooperatives under a single fleet management with ten to fifteen units in a particular route, rather than individual operators. LGUs are being assisted by the DOTr in determining new routes. Surprisingly, despite there being no new routes, the DOTr is handing out new franchises to jeepney associations who are plying the same old routes.
STOP demands that rather than implement the ill-thought out policy of the DOTr, it should allow those vehicles that comply with present MVIS and RWT to ply their routes in peace and enable them to renew franchises.
“Who wins when government defaults its role to ensure that public transportation remains a public service, its big corporate interests who will win in the end, certainly not the consumers,” points out Yumul and adds that more actions can be expected from them in the coming days.
####