The Department of Transportation (DOTr) yesterday said about 70 percent of the traditional jeepneys have joined transport cooperatives as part the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program (PUVMP).
During the 50th anniversary of the Office of Transportation Cooperatives (OTC), DOTr said it continues to pursue the consolidation of operators and drivers into transport cooperatives to ensure the success of the PUVMP.
Transport workers consolidating into cooperatives not only helps in the success of modernizing public transportation but also brings socio-economic and cultural benefits to member operators and drivers, it added.
Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista cited the benefits of PUVMP while urging OTC members to attest to the advantages of joining cooperatives.
“The benefits brought by the PUVMP include the safety of passengers, the efficient operation, and increased livelihood because the boundary system will disappear,” Bautista said in his message delivered by Pagunova Transport Service and Multi-Purpose Cooperative representative Lenard Bautista.
The transport chief said the living status of public utility vehicle (PUV) operators and drivers has improved with the help of the program.
According to the DOTr, around 70 percent of PUV operators and drivers are now consolidated in over 1,700 transport cooperatives nationwide.
Under the PUVMP, operators and drivers must organize into a cooperative or corporation to establish larger fleets of PUVs.
The DOTr, with the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board, extended the deadline for consolidation until Dec. 31, 2023.
