Mayor Alfredo Abelardo “Albee” Benitez announced on Monday, November 21, that the moratorium on the arrest of traditional jeepneys without franchises will be extended.
The two-week moratorium earlier granted by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) was supposed to end on Tuesday, November 22.
The mayor in a statement issued last night said he met with representatives of the LTFRB and Land Transportation Office on Saturday to relay the issues and concerns of the traditional jeepney operators.
It was agreed at the meeting that an extension on the moratorium would be granted to give time for the preparation of a transfer plan with correct and complete details to address the concerns of operators of the traditional and modernized jeeps, Benitez said.
The operators of traditional jeepneys have assured the mayor that they will modernize but appealed for the LTFRB to address their concerns.
The mayor did not say how long the extended moratorium will last.
The details of the moratorium will be discussed by Benitez with the LTFRB regional and national officials during a meeting on Tuesday.
Leaders of drivers groups said on Monday that if a moratorium is denied the operators of the traditional jeepneys will have no option but to stop operating to avoid apprehension.
When traditional jeepneys stopped operating earlier this month to evade arrest, commuters in several areas of Bacolod City were left with a lack of public transportation.*