Permits, Prices, and Phase Out: To be a UP jeepney driver during the pandemic
Features | John Marco Bajana
The transport sector has been heavily affected by the pandemic as public utility vehicles like jeepneys were not permitted to operate for some time. While the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) eventually allowed some jeepneys to resume operations last June 2020, drivers were put in a tight situation just for them to go back on the road.
Conditions such as keeping their license updated, obtaining permits to operate, and eventually, continuously increasing gas prices since the start of the year prevented most jeepney drivers from resuming operations.
On top of all these is the constant threat of phasing out traditional jeepneys to give way for modern ones as part of the government’s jeepney modernization program. With all these in place, jeepney drivers are carrying heavier burdens than ever before.
In an interview last April 2022, Nolan Grulla, spokesperson of the UP Transport Group (UPTG) shared the long-standing woes of the UP Jeepney Drivers during this pandemic. Of the 348 drivers that are members of the UPTG, Grulla stated that more than half of these drivers haven’t had the opportunity to go back on the road.
“Malaki ang naging epekto ng dalawang taong walang hanapbuhay sa mental health ng karamihan sa amin. May mga kasama na nga rin akong namatay dahil sa hirap ng buhay,” he said.
While Kuya Nolan is one of those who have resumed driving, it was a struggle for him to get his jeepney registered in order to legally go back to driving. LTFRB required all jeepney operators and drivers resuming operations to have a QR code; however, a lot of UP jeepney drivers did not have access to this new registration system as the majority of them own single-unit jeepneys and are not part of any franchise.
Moreover, keeping their license updated also requires them to shell out P10,000, as Kuya Nolan shared, and this is what has been stopping a lot of drivers from their group from resuming operations.
Apart from this, another issue that came with the resumption of operations of UP jeepney drivers is rerouting.
“Ginipit kami ng admin dahil sa rerouting, na para bang hindi muna kami kinonsulta. Pinapirma na lang kami,” Kuya Nolan said as he was explaining how this rerouting scheme worked.
During the interview, Kuya Nolan mentioned that only Ikot, Philcoa, and Katipunan jeepneys have been issued with their new routes while Pantranco and SM North jeepneys have yet to receive guidelines regarding rerouting as LTFRB hasn’t released anything yet, to which he expressed his frustration. The new routes required the jeepneys to pass through CP Garcia Avenue, which is also included in the routes of Quezon City’s Libreng Sakay program.
“Kahit may mga pasahero sa CP Garcia, nahihirapan pa rin kaming kumita kasi nakikipagkompetensya kami sa Libreng Sakay. Syempre ang mga tao, mas gugustuhing sumakay dun sa libre,” he then said.
With the continuous increase in fuel prices and LTFRB’s rejection of the one-peso temporary fare hike, Kuya Nolan shared that he, along with other drivers, is sometimes forced to overcharge commuters. Instead of the nine-peso minimum fare, there are times when he charges 10 pesos, saying that the additional peso will somewhat help him pay for gas.
While he mentioned the risk that comes with doing such, like getting caught by officials who disguise as regular commuters and ride jeepneys randomly to check if drivers are complying with the minimum fare, he still does it.
In addition, Kuya Nolan also slammed the government’s P6500 fuel subsidy for PUVs, stating that this program didn’t serve its purpose because instead of directly giving it to the drivers, the fuel subsidy was given to franchises instead, and this sum of money would then be split among the drivers in each franchise.
But perhaps the single thing that has put UP jeepney drivers in a tight situation is jeepney modernization. Alongside the huge cost that comes with procuring a unit of a modern jeepney, under the jeepney modernization program is the removal of single-unit jeepneys.
“Lalo po kaming ginigipit kasi inaalis na ang single-unit jeepneys. Kailangan nang pumasok sa kooperatiba,” Kuya Nolan mentioned.
While they are willing to comply with the franchise requirement of having at least 15 units in one franchise, there is no assurance that they will be the ones owning this franchise, which makes them reluctant to oblige.
Given all these issues, the UPD administration has ensured that the livelihood of UP jeepney drivers will be protected amidst the pandemic. While UP cannot directly offer any kind of help since it’s under the government, they have given the drivers the assurance that none of them will be laid off.
With the resumption of limited face-to-face classes, a dialogue with the UP jeepney drivers and Vice Chancellor for Community Affairs Aleli Bawagan was conducted wherein it was mentioned that they will be tapped to provide transportation services to those partaking in the conduct of face-to-face classes, which was already approved by the LTFRB and the Commission on Higher Education (CHED).
Moreover, a dialogue meeting was held by the UP Office of Transportation Cooperatives to address the issues of the jeepney drivers regarding the loss of their original routes.
In the past year, the Officer of the Vice Chancellor for Community Affairs (OVCCA), released a traffic advisory showing the new jeepney routes, and UP students are now seeing the jeepney drivers back on campus. However, it cannot be denied that the transport sector, in general, is still not prioritized under the current administration. With the constant threats of traditional jeepneys phasing out to give way for jeepney modernization, he calls that the government would reconsider ultimately removing traditional jeepneys in lieu of modernization.
“Ayaw naming maalis. Gusto namin na kami [traditional jeepneys] pa rin sa modernization. Willing naman kaming sumunod,” he asserted.
