The Bacolod City government will showcase its electric jeepney (e-jeep) utilization initiative under the Public Transport Modernization Program (PTMP) during the visit of Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon on Friday, April 25.
Dizon and his team will assess the city’s implementation of the e-jeep program to set a benchmark for other local government units, Benitez said on Tuesday.
“I asked the new Secretary of the Department of Transportation (DOTr) to come and witnesses our initiative on e-jeeps. I invited them to see firsthand what we have done,” he said.
Benitez said he believes that together with the national government, the city would be able to accelerate the migration to the use of e-jeepneys.
He said the City Planning and Development Office conducted a consultation on the Local Public Transport Route Plan (LPTRP) on Tuesday as a way of understanding the situation and the problem faced by the transport sector.
“This is one of the first steps in achieving the solution in having a better environment. In any city, transportation is an integral part of development,” he added.
In Bacolod, the Cebu People’s Multi-Purpose Cooperative (CPMPC), owner-operator of the modernized People’s Jeep, has acquired 10 units of e-jeeps from Chinese-Korean e-vehicle company e-Future Motors Philippines.
After deploying five units last year, CPMPC received the delivery of another five units on the first week of April at their Bacolod satellite office.
The cooperative said the acquisition of 10 e-jeeps for the Fortune Towne-Central Market loop is a reaffirmation of its commitment to sustainable transport.
Meanwhile, Bacolod-based e-Future Motors said modernized e-jeepneys are a sustainable and environment-friendly solution.
It added that it is “looking forward to making e-jeep as the top of the mind choice for the PTMP implementation in Bacolod City.”
Latest data from the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board showed that there are now 605 modern e-jeepneys plying the city roads along with 1,266 approved consolidated traditional units.*PNA