DAVAO CITY – Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio will seek the consent of the Department of Transportation (DOTr) not to implement the jeepney modernization here in view of the city mass transport program.
The city mayor said it would be pointless to require the modernization of the public utility vehicles (PUVs) when the city is embarking on the High Priority Bus System (HPBS), which is one of her priority programs during her term.
Duterte-Carpio said she wants to shift to the bus system as one of the modes of mass transport system in Davao City. The other two projects are the monorail and the Mindanao Railway System of the national government.
“I am preparing to talk to the national government not to implement the jeepney modernization in Davao City,” Duterte-Carpio said.
The city mayor said she wanted to link the bus system to the project of the Regional Development Council (RDC) XI Metro Davao rail which starts from Digos in Davao del Sur connecting Davao City and down to Tagum City in Davao del Norte.
Duterte-Carpio is set to lay down works for the start of the HPBS by 2019 so that when a new mayor takes over the project is already implemented.
She said she started the concept of the bus system in 2010 when she was mayor.
Early this year, Duterte-Carpio issued EO 27 Series of 2017 creating the Transportation and Traffic Planning Committee mandated to work on the Comprehensive Transportation and Traffic Management Plan for the city.
Aside from other tasks, the mayor said the committee is also working with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) which is assisting the city shift from the outdated and expensive public utility jeepneys to a more convenient, cleaner, and faster mode of transportation.
The mayor earlier said, “We do not want our jeepney drivers to be poor and sickly, we want drivers to become entrepreneurs and invest in the HPBS project. In this way, they become our partners to a modernized transport system for the city.”
Duterte-Carpio said there are many opportunities for the jeepney drivers under the HPBS project.
If drivers and operators do not want to become entrepreneurs, the city will launch retraining programs to become mechanics in the government-run bus depots. They can also work in the office for the bus system or engage in livelihood.
Under the HPBS project, jeepneys and tricycles will not be phased out as they will be used in feeder lines. Tricycles can ply in areas which cannot be served by jeepneys. The units which will not be registered anymore can be sold as scrap.
The PUV modernization program is touted to meet safety, energy efficiency, and emission standards in order to enhance commuter convenience.
Under the modernization program, jeepney units that are 15 years old will be replaced with Euro 4 engines or electrically-powered engines with solar panels for roofs. The units will also be equipped with closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras, a GPS navigation system, an Automatic Fare Collection System (AFCS), speed limiters, dashboard cameras and Wi-Fi.
The jeepney modernization has been opposed because under the 53 Fleet Management Program, government will only give one franchise for 10 units, which drivers and operators cannot afford to buy or loan from the bank. (Lilian C. Mellejor/PNA)
* Stay at Home and START YOUR OWN blog site, business or personal website, or e-commerce store at
www.wirenine.comLinkback:
https://tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com/index.php?topic=112210.0
