LTFRB: Plastic barriers inside PUJs not gov’t policy

The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) on Saturday clarified that the installation of plastic barriers to enforce distancing inside jeepneys is not mandatory.

The LTFRB issued the clarification as the Department of Transportation (DOTr) pushed through with the relaxation of physical distancing inside public transport vehicles.

“Patungkol naman sa plastic barriers that separates the passengers, I would just like to clarify na ‘yung polisiya na binaba po ng DOTr at LTFRB patungkol sa plastic barriers... this is actually in relation to the plastic barrier that separates the driver from the passengers,” LTFRB Chairman Martin Delgra III said at a virtual press conference on Saturday.

“So wala pong official statement ang LTFRB, DOTr or event the IATF regarding doon sa plastic barriers between passengers,” Delgra said.

The LTFRB chief, however, said if the plastic barriers are helpful then operators can continue using it.

He said operators and drivers installed plastic barriers to separate passengers from one another in a bid to show how physical distancing can be implemented inside jeepneys as they anticipate of the resumption of their operations.

Starting September 14, the DOTr will be enforcing a reduced physical distance among passengers inside public transport.

The DOTr said that from one meter, physical distancing will be optimized to 0.75 meters beginning Monday, before further reducing it to 0.5 meters after two weeks, and to 0.3 meters after another two weeks.

For Class 2 modern PUVs and public utility buses, optimizing the physical distance between passengers inside the vehicles will mean that standing passengers may be accommodated.

“‘Yung sa UV [Express], we would also expect that they would at least...one or two additional passengers will be accommodated given the reduction in social distancing requirement,” Delgra said. -MDM, GMA News