DESPITE protests from drivers groups, the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board is pushing to phase out passenger jeepneys that are 15 years old.
“We have already phased out old units of taxi, bus, school service and utility vehicles…We have to ensure the safety and convenience of our passengers. It is long overdue,” said LTFRB Chairman Winston Ginez.
In a radio interview over radio dzMM, Ginez said they have already met with various public utility jeepney organizations about how to lessen the impact on the plan to retire old jeepneys from roads nationwide.
He said, however, that the dialogue is continuing and no final decision has been reached yet.
The Alliance of Concerned Transport Organizations held a strike Monday to protest the plan, but Ginez said their strike had no basis.
He added that one option is to give operators a grace period before the phaseout.
“Robert Martin of Pasang Masda and [members of] 1-United Transport Koalisyon backed our proposal,” the LTFRB chief said.
Meanwhile, a government program to introduce Non-Stop Buses to ease traffic along Edsa is attracting only a few passengers because of the high fares, which range between P50 and P80.
“The fare is not fair, I think. I can buy two kilos of rice for that amount,” said call center agent Rod Ramos of Makati City.
Metro Manila Development Authority officials admitted that people were initially confused because commuters were unfamiliar with the program initiated by the Department of Transportation and Communications.
“We expected the low number of passengers since it was the first day of the bus service. We need more public information campaigns to make the public aware of this program,” said Crisanto Saruca, head of the MMDA traffic management office.
The DoTC initiated the project to encourage private car owners to leave their vehicles at home in an effort to decongest Edsa during the holiday season.
The MMDA said it is also ready to relaunch a bike sharing system to reduce traffic.
Emerson Carlos, chairman of the MMDA, said his agency will present to the public the newly acquired 40 brand new mountain bikes that will be lent to interested pedestrians and commuters who want to use them to get to their destinations in areas with bike lanes.
On Monday, the agency also announced that it has created an online social network to enable people to complain about and report illegally parked vehicles and other road obstructions.
MMDA chairman Emerson Carlos said the social media site dubbed as Netizens Watch aims to muster support of both the public and private sectors in reporting to the agency all traffic obstructions in Metro Manila, including road diggings.
The MMDA is set to launch the social media site today at the agency’s central office along Orense Street in Makati City.
Carlos said under the virtual complaint desk, motorists can take a picture of the traffic obstructions such as illegal vendors’ stalls, basketball courts, gambling tables and structures that encroach on the sidewalk and unfinished road repairs, and post them on Twitter, and tag the agency’s official Twitter account, @MMDA.
He added motorists can also access the MMDA Viber Hotline 09061476975 to report the traffic obstructions.
“The report should include the name of the sender and the actual picture including the detailed location where the illegally parked vehicle or the obstruction was spotted and the time when it was taken,” said Carlos.
The MMDA Twitter and Viber administration staff will immediately verify all the information upon receipt of the report and forward it to the Agency’s Traffic Discipline Office, which will dispatch personnel to clear the area, or instruct contractors to patch the road diggings.
The agency will also entertain complaints of mulcting by erring MMDA traffic personnel.
