Over 19,000 PUV units under service contracting to start Monday — DOTr

Thousands of public utility vehicle (PUV) units nationwide will begin operating under the government's service contracting program (SCP) on Monday, April 20, 2026, according to Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez.

At a news forum in Quezon City, Lopez said only a few PUV units participated when the SCP rolled out last Wednesday, April 15, 2026.

"We are expecting by Monday, makakaasa tayo na over 19,000 na jeepneys—modern, traditional—and UV Express, kasama na rin ang EDSA Busway natin ang nakapasok na sa program at mararamdaman na rin ng ating mga commuters," the Transportation chief said.

(We are expecting that by Monday, over 19,000 public utility vehicles, including modern and traditional jeepneys, UV Express, and EDSA Busway units, will participate in the program. Commuters will start to feel the impact of this.)

The first phase of SCP, which has an allocated initial budget of P1 billion will run for two weeks. Of the amount, P800 million is earmarked for road transport and P200 million for maritime transport.

The initiative is a subsidy program in which the government will pay PUV operators and drivers a set amount per kilometer traveled, ensuring a guaranteed income whether their units are full of passengers or not, provided that they impose a 20% fare discount to passengers. This is on top of existing discounts already enjoyed by senior citizens, persons with disabilities (PWDs), and students.

Under the program, bus operators and drivers will be paid P100 per kilometer. For the EDSA Busway alone, the program covers 50 operators, 500 bus units, and 300,000 passengers daily.

Modern jeepneys and UV Express units will be paid P40 per kilometer, while traditional units will be given P30 per kilometer.

Participating units under the program will run five days a week.

"Ang kagandahan dito sa net service contracting, hindi lamang kita ng mga operators at drivers ang atin tinutugunan. Tinutugunan din natin ang ating mga commuters. We included a fare discount of 20%," Lopez said.

(The benefit of net service contracting is that we are able to help not just operators and drivers. We are helping commuters. We included a fare discount of 20%.)

The program will cover a total of 823 routes across the country, 545 of which will be in Metro Manila and Cavite, Laguna, Rizal, as the DOTr focused on "filler routes" that connect to other modes of transport, such as the railways.

On the plan to extend and expand the SCP, Lopez said the DOTr is coordinating with the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to look for sources of funds to finance the agency's additional P5-billion request for the program's phase 2. — VDV, GMA News