60 modern jeepneys coming to Cebu City streets

LTO-7 inspects a modern jeep for compliance with the mandatory wearing of face shields. (Contributed Photo/LTO-7)

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Cebu City can expect more public utility vehicles (PUVs) running around as at least 60 modern jeepneys will be deployed here.

Councilor James Cuenco, the committee chairperson for transportation in the City Council,  revealed that the city is expecting the deployment of these modern jeepneys by Friday, July 16, 2021.

The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board in Central Visayas (LTFRB-7) will be launching these units by then to help reduce the gap of supply and demand of transportation in the city.

Cuenco said the additional modern jeepneys will be mostly routed to Pardo, Lahug, and Apas but more routes will also be covered.

“At least mapun-an na atong PUVs kay nakita man nato nga kulang gyod kaayo,” he said.

While more modern jeepneys will be deployed, Cuenco said another problem arose with it, as the city now faces the dilemma of ensuring that these PUVs are following the health protocols.

Since the city only has a few enforcers in the Cebu City Transportation Office (CCTO), Cuenco said this is not enough to monitor the buses, jeepneys, and modern jeepneys, potentially violating health protocols through overloading or not wearing personal protective equipment.

The councilor will be pushing for the deputization of other enforcers such as the City Environmental Sanitation and Enforcement Team (CESET) and the Prevention Restoration Order Beautification and Enhancement (PROBE) team.

“Dili na kaya sa atong CCTO kay gamay ra na sila gyod. Pipila ra na sila. Kailangan nato ideputize ang CESET and PROBE aron makaissue silag ticket anang mga PUV nga magviolate,” said the councilor.

The councilor said that if apprehensions are efficient, drivers will not dare violate the health protocols because the penalty for violating such can be as high as P5,000.

The city government already has a strong enough penalty but needs to be enforced more strictly to become effective, he said.

“I will talk with CCTO, or we can make a request, nga ideputize na ang uban enforcers. We need force multipliers,” Cuenco added.     /rcg

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