DOTr vows more support for transport coops for PUV modernization
DIFFERING VIEWS A driver joining the transport strike staged by Manibela on March 24, 2025 rests in his jeepney at Philcoa in Quezon City. At right, members of modern jeepney transport cooperatives gather outside the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board office, also in Quezon City, to support the government’s public utility vehicle modernization program. — Photo by Lyn Rillon
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Transportation (DOTr) vowed to increase support for transport cooperatives in paying for expenses they incurred in joining the public utility vehicle (PUV) modernization program.
This came a day after the Palace said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. wanted to further study the public transport modernization program to alleviate the burden on jeepney drivers and operators.
“The Department of Transportation is intensifying the government’s help for the cooperatives that modernized their PUV units to pay for their obligations to banks,” the DOTr said in Filipino in a statement on Thursday night.
“The department continues to be open to applications for operators and drivers that have not yet joined the modernization program,” it added.
READ: Marcos wants more study on PUV modernization — Palace
Further, the DOTr said Marcos’ directive included resolving issues with route rationalization, liberalizing regulations on jeepney manufacturing and quickly processing requirements for consolidation. /das
