MANILA — Jeepney operators who have not joined the government's modernization program will be allowed to operate past the December 31 deadline only in areas where there are too few consolidated units to serve the public, and only so the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board has time to find units to replace them.

In a press briefing on Friday, officials said there would be no extension of the deadline to apply for consolidated franchises under transport cooperatives.

THREE ROUTE SCENARIOS FOR LTFRB

LTFRB technical division chief Joel Bolano said the government has three scenarios for jeepney routes, depending on how many drivers and operators have agreed to consolidate their franchises — a requirement that transport groups PISTON and Manibela oppose because their members want to retain their individual franchises.

Bolano said that on routes where at least 60 percent of units have joined the consolidation program, jeepneys that are unconsolidated "will automatically not run", or will be barred from plying the streets.

They will no longer be able to renew their provisional authorities to operate, he said.

On routes where some jeepney operators and drivers have agreed to consolidate their franchises but where consolidation is lower than 60 percent, Bolano said, unconsolidated units will be allowed to operate until January 31, 2024.

"'Yung unconsolidated will be given special permits hanggang end of January para mabigyan ng pagkakataon ang LTFRB na makapag-issue ng special permits sa adjacent routes na puwede tumakbo doon sa mga routes," Bolano said.

Jeepneys on routes where no drivers and operators have applied for consolidation will also be allowed on the streets until the end of January "pending the process of assigning units coming from other routes." Bolano said the LTFRB would issue special permits to the reassigned units.

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Manibela president Mar Valbuena has said that assigning units from other routes could mean higher fares, adding that will not be enough to address an expected shortage when thousands of jeepneys stop operating at the end of next January.

According to LTFRB, only 11,405 or 27 percent of jeepneys in the National Capital Region had applied for consolidation as of mid-December.

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DWSD READY TO OFFER ONE-TIME AID

In a release on Friday, the Department of Social Welfare and Development said jeepney drivers who lose their income due to the modernization program could get financial assistance from the agency.

"It is possible that they can avail of AICS since they can be categorized as in crisis," DWSD Director Miramel Laxa said — referring to the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations, a program that usually distributes aid to calamity survivors and to indigents with medical needs.

Laxa pointed out, however, that the AICS is a one-time disbursement of aid.

"It would be better to also consider them for livelihood programs and grants offered by different government agencies," the DSWD director said.

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PROTESTS CONTINUE

PISTON and Manibela have been holding transport strikes through December to protest the looming consolidation deadline. They have stressed that they are not against forming cooperatives, but that members want to retain ownership of their units and franchises.

They said consolidation and the modernization program in general favor large cooperatives and transport companies and put single-unit operators at a disadvantage.

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The Department of Transportation and LTFRB said forming cooperatives meant costs to modernize and maintain jeepney fleets would be divided among members and jeepneys would not have to compete with each other for passengers.

Consolidation under a cooperative will also provide drivers fixed wages to replace the "boundary" system where the operator gets a fixed amount and the driver gets the excess as income.

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