Transport groups ask LTFRB to lift special permits, restore original jeepney routes

Three transport groups on Monday filed a petition at the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) for the removal of special permits and the return of original routes for public utility jeepneys.

According to a report of Allan Gatus on Super Radyo dzBB, the petition was filed by Pasang Masda national president Obet Martin, Alliance of Concerned Transportation Organization’s Libay De Luna, and  Alliance of Transport Operators and Drivers Association of the Philippines’s Boy Vargas.

The groups said that it would be safer for passengers to have more jeepneys on the road to prevent crowding in public utility vehicles amid the pandemic.

If the original routes are brought back, they added, passengers can save money as they will not have to make additional trips to get to their destination.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, in 2020 the LTFRB decided to issue special permits to allow a limited number of public utility vehicles (PUVs) to operate.

The agency also rationalized routes as ordered by the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID). 

The groups also cited the impact of the recent fuel price hikes on the livelihood of operators and drivers. — BM, GMA News