Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez said on Saturday, September 3, that he has appealed to the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board and Land Transportation Office to give him a month to find a solution to the problem of the public utility jeepney (PUJ) operators in the city.
He said he will present the valid issues and concerns of the PUJ drivers and operators on the jeepney modernization program to Transportation Secretary Jaime J. Bautista and in the meantime he asked that they be allowed to continue to ply the streets of Bacolod.
If these PUJs are made to stop operating now there will not be enough public transportation for Bacolod residents, he said.
The provisional authorities of the operators who did not apply for the modernization program have expired.
The modernization program is set to start in March 2023.
Benitez said the concern of the operators is the economic viability of the modernized jeepney because it is expensive.
A solution to the realities on the ground needs to be found that is why he is asking for a status quo until the issues are resolved, he said.
Benitez said he was informed that 500 modern jeepneys will arrive in Bacolod in October.*