Montealto: PUV operator asked permission not to operate for lack of air purifiers
A personal air purifier
MANDAUE CITY, Cebu – At least one public utility vehicle (PUV) operator whose units are plying Cebu Province, had asked not to operate on Monday, August 16, 2021, for failing to secure personal air purifiers for his drivers and conductors.
This was confirmed by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board in Central Visayas (LTFRB-7) Director Eduardo Montealto Jr. on Tuesday, August 17, 2021.
The regional director, however, clarified that the reason was not due to financial constraint, stressing that the said operator of a modern public utility jeepney (MPUJ) only asked his permission not to operate considering that suppliers have reportedly run out of air purifiers.
“Naay usa ka operator nananghid nato nga dili una mo-operate kay wala kapalit kay nahutdan,” Montealto said.
“Dili nuon tanan nilang units, naa gihapon nagdagan sa ilaha. Gibawasan ra nila og mga 70 percent,” he added.
The operator reportedly promised that the units will be plying back in the streets as soon as they could buy air purifiers for their drivers and conductors.
Though LTFRB could not take part in its implementation, Montealto expressed his support for the mandatory wearing of such gadgets among drivers and conductors of PUVs in the province, saying that this is one of the means that Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia has identified to fight the spread of COVID-19 infection.
Citing that air purifiers will somehow help lower the risk of infection among PUV drivers and conductors due to the nature of their works, Montealto said there is also a need to invest for their safety.
The new regulation which could have been strictly implemented on Monday, was postponed to August 25 to give operators enough time to secure air purifiers.
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