DOTr, LTFRB to Open 20 New Routes to, from PITX

Patrick Everett Tadeo • January 28, 2019 • 0 • 130

The Department of Transportation (DOTr) and the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) are opening 20 new Public Utility Vehicle (PUV) routes to improve the flow of traffic to and from the Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange (PITX).

Under Memorandum Circular (MC) No. 2019-005 that the LTFRB recently released, 10 new routes have been allocated for public utility buses (PUBs), two for UV Express shuttles, and eight for Class 2 or 3 public utility jeepneys (PUJs). The routes are:

I. PUB (10)

• PITX – Ternate

• PITX – Alfonso/Mendez

• PITX – Palapala, Dasmariñas

• PITX – Silang, Cavite

• PITX – Tagaytay City

• PITX – Cavite City

• PITX – Indang

• PITX – Manggahan, General Trias

• PITX – Lancaster New City

• PITX – Nasugbu via Ternate

II. UV Express Van / Class 2/3 PUJ (2)

• PITX – Alabang

• PITX – Tanza

III. Class 2 PUJ (8)

• PITX – Bayan Luma, Imus

• PITX – Alabang

• PITX – Tanza

• PITX – Bicutan via East Service Road

• PITX – Bicutan via West Service Road

• PITX – Sucat via Sucat Avenue

• PITX – Blumentritt

• PITX – Bacoor

Under the MC, the LTFRB has set some guidelines based on the government’s PUV Modernization Program (PUVMP) for those who plan to operate the new routes.

For PUBs, the units should only have a single deck, comply with the Euro 4 emission standard, have a low floor and at least two doors, offer free WiFi, be air-conditioned, and equipped with CCTVs, dashboard camera, and an automatic fare collection system. Its drivers shall also be compensated with a standard salary and not be based on commission.

For UV Express units, only those that comply with the Omnibus Franchising Guidelines (OFG) will be accepted.

As for the Class 2 or 3 PUJ units, these should comply with the standards set by the OFG and the Department of Trade and Industry–Bureau of Philippine Standards (DTI-BPS).

The MC also notes that each route will be given to only one applicant. The chosen applicant should then have at least 25 percent of the required units to operate the route within three months after the Notice of Selection has been issued, with 50 percent of the required units operating within six months, and the entire fleet requirement operating within nine months from the issuance of the Notice of Selection.

However, as both the LTFRB and the DOTr understand that applicants may not be readily have PUVMP-compliant units to service the routes, the MC has set some guidelines for what it calls as ‘Interim Service.’

Under the ‘Interim Service,’ applicants should be able to operate within 15 days of the issuance of the Notice of Selection at least 2/3 of the required units per route, with the units to be used either owned by the applicants or leased/chartered from other operators, manufacturers, or dealers.

In addition, ‘Interim Service’ units for PUBs should not be older than five years while for UV Express, units should not be older than three years.