Starting February 1, commuters will see fewer jeepneys and public utility vehicles on the road. The Land Transportation Office (LTO) is set to crack down on unconsolidated jeepneys, thus shutting down most jeepney routes and reducing commuters’ transportation options.

Shutdown of routes and crackdown on colorum vehicles

In accordance with the PUV Modernization Program, which required jeepney drivers to group into cooperatives and adopt the million-peso modern jeepneys, the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) has published lists of routes with and without consolidated entities.

Nearly 400 jeepney routes and over 100 UV express routes are set to be shut down in NCR alone. While some routes remain, some areas would lose affordable jeepney service they rely on for their everyday commute.

A netizen pointed out how Project 2 and Project 3 barely has any remaining routes, while Cubao is set to lose a lot of jeepneys. Other netizens likewise noted that their usual routes, like some through Taft or Kalayaan, will also be gone by February 1. Across the country, a total of 1,767 routes may be shut down due to having no consolidated jeepneys.

On top of jeepney routes being shut down, unconsolidated jeepneys, or jeepneys that failed to join cooperatives, are expected to be apprehended and impounded starting February 1.

The Land Transportation Office (LTO) has prepared new impounding areas for “colorum” or illegally operating public utility vehicles (PUVs). Aside from unconsolidated jeepneys, they will also apprehend unregistered private and public utility vehicles, including vehicles that had their franchises and registrations revoked.

What commuters are expecting to happen

This has gone viral on social media, as commuters criticize how this campaign will only worsen the transportation crisis.

A netizen even pointed out that this may lead to other transportation operators astronomically raising their minimum fare, as some had already done during the jeepney strike.

“I hope sanity prevails and they come up with a process for managing this which doesn’t cause chaos for the less fortunate people in the country,” another wrote.

What the government says

According to the Office of Transportation Cooperatives (OTC), there will be enough PUVs operating nationwide, even through the routes without unconsolidated jeepneys. “Yung maliliit na ruta, wala halos nag-consolidate, pero dadaanan naman sila ng isang mahabang ruta na mas maraming sasakyan,” said OTC chair Andy Ortega.

Meanwhile, LTO is considering granting special permits for routes without consolidated jeepneys, while also encouraging unconsolidated jeepneys to join cooperatives. “Para alam rin namin kung ano’ng support facility we can still coordinate with LTFRB, Department of Transportation na baka pwedeng magbigay ng special permit. Ayaw naman natin na mag-enforce tapos walang masakyan ang mga tao sa baba,” LTO chief Vigor Mendoza said.

The LTFRB said they are ready for the possibility of overcrowding on February 1. “We have two backup plans. On February 1 on the assumption na kulang na talaga (there is really shortage), there are what we call rescue vehicles. Number two, jeepneys plying the adjoining route… we will allow now those jeeps to ply that existing route na kinukulang (with few jeepneys) and will be issuing special permits for them,” LTFRB Chairman Teofilo Guadiz said in an interview with CNN Philippines’ The Source.

He added that the LTFRB is coordinating with local government units to arrange for solutions in anticipation of the possible overcrowding on February 1.

Still, the LTFRB stands by its belief that there will be no transport crisis in the NCR despite the routes about to be shut down. “In one route, we only look into the jeepneys, but remember in a certain route, there are buses, there are UVs, there are tricycles, there are TNVS going on those routes,” Guadiz said.

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