SC urged: Cancel PUV modernization

MANILA, Philippines — Transport group Piston has renewed its call for the Supreme Court’s invalidation of the government’s public transport modernization program (PTMP).

Noting that the Department of Transportation has “relaxed the consolidation requirement at least 10 times,” Piston argued that the question of the program’s legality is a “continuing substantial issue, yet it appears to evade review because the government periodically refuses to fully implement it.”

Under the PTMP, operators of public utility vehicles are required to consolidate into cooperatives or corporations to legally ply their routes.

Only 130,000 jeepneys are operational, from 300,000 in 2017, according to Piston.