The city government is open to making adjustments to its Local Public Transport Route Plan (LPTRP) when necessary amid the “chaos” that was experienced on the second day of its implementation on Monday.
“All options are on the table. I think if the situation is so chaotic and will not result in (a) better transport plan for our commuters, I do not see any reason why we should not revise it to make it more reactionary to the needs of our commuters,” Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas said in a press conference.
Treñas said among those that were observed were the lack of sufficient jeepneys to transport commuters from three major terminals situated in Tagbak and Ungka in Jaro district and Mohon in Arevalo, and the absence of tarpaulin indicating the new routes.
The Tagbak terminal caters to passengers coming from the northern part of Iloilo province, including northern Iloilo, Capiz, and Aklan.
Ungka terminal is for vehicles plying the central part of the province, while Mohon is for passengers from southern Iloilo and Antique.
Under the LPTRP, all provincial jeepneys are no longer allowed to enter the city.
Treñas said he has already talked with Western Visayas Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) regional director Richard Osmeña who expressed the readiness of his office to allow provisional authority for traditional jeepneys to cater to commuters.
“There are areas that we need to allow traditional jeepneys,” he added.
In the same press conference, Public Safety and Transportation Management Office (PSTMO) head Jeck Conlu said jeepneys in Mohon and Tagbak terminals were not sufficient based on their monitoring and passengers.
Based on their planning, they need to cater to passengers during the first hours starting 6:30 a.m. until 9 a.m.
Otherwise, they would conclude there is a problem with their implementation if there are more passengers left uncatered at the terminal once it already reaches 10 a.m. or 11 a.m.
The terminals became manageable at around 9 a.m., he said
He added they will be making recommendations to be submitted to the city mayor although it is the Department of Transportation (DOTr) through the LTFRB that approved the LTPRP and franchises for the jeepneys.
“That is why, we are given (a) six months trial period. Based on the actual implementation, we can gather data and justifications. Hopefully, with the recommendations, there are areas that will be considered by the DOTr and the LTFRB,” Conlu said.
The LTFRB has approved 1,767 modernized jeepneys for the LPTRP but only 77 are plying their routes.
A total of 24 routes were opened including the 17 rationalized and seven newly-opened routes.
Source: Philippines News Agency