Private carpools on EDSA are not ‘colorum’ if passengers do not pay fare —LTFRB

Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) chair Martin Delgra III assured on Thursday that private carpools will not be tagged as “colorum” unless the driver charges fare from passengers.

Delgra also reiterated that the LTFRB supports carpooling amid the rush-hour ban on driver-only vehicles along EDSA.

During a technical working group meeting of the House Committee on Transportation, Muntinlupa City Representative Ruffy Biazon asked Delgra about the carpooling as proposed by the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA).

“Sabi ng MMDA, they encourage carpooling. Somebody commented na lalabas daw na colorum ‘yung carpooling. Can we get the comment of LTFRB on that?” the lawmaker said.

A private carpool can only be considered “colorum,” or without franchise, if the driver accepts payment from passengers, Delgra noted.

“If, for example, you simply take turns in bringing your car so that you’d be able to take in passengers who also have cars, there are actually no extra costs to it. In that sense, hindi colorum ang konsepto,” he said.

“Under that particular concept, I was asked about it, we would be supportive of that concept.”

Delgra, however, warned that some colorum drivers would pretend that they are carpooling to avoid being apprehended by authorities.

“They would take in passengers, at kapag mahuli ang sinasabi ay kamag-anak, kapitbahay na hindi nagbibigay ng pamasahe,” he said.

Delgra admitted it would be difficult to distinguish between colorum and carpool vehicles. “It’s an issue of enforcement, we need to understand that.”

Nevertheless, he is encouraging carpooling for its benefits on the road and the environment.

“I go back to the original concept of carpooling, which is actually good in that sense, because it addresses traffic congestion, but at the same time it addresses environment issues,” he said.

The MMDA on Wednesday commenced its dry-run of the high-occupancy vehicle scheme, which bans cars without any other occupant than the driver on EDSA.

Provincial buses have also been banned in most parts of EDSA during rush hour. —VDS, GMA News