LTFRB 7 Starts Profile of 3,000 Jeepney Drivers, Operators to be Affected by BRT on Feb. 16

The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) 7 will start on Feb. 16 the profiling of about 3,000 jeepney operators and drivers in Cebu City who will be affected by the city’s Php10.6-billion Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system.

Cebu-BRT Office head lawyer Rafael Yap said the Base-Line Survey for PUJ drivers and operators will run until March 13.

Within the period, he said the affected drivers and operators are encouraged to fill out personal data forms at LTFRB 7 to avail themselves of the training and employment assistance program through the Technical Education Skills and Development Authority (Tesda).

The profiling includes the personal information of the drivers and operators, what the driver wants to pursue for an alternative livelihood, personal attainment and other concerns.

Yap said the data collection is vital as it would show the target and affected audience, percentage and number of recipients and comprehensive and mitigating factors to help them.

He said the survey will help them come up with an appropriate and practical social management plan for those who will be displaced by the said development.

Other identified measures are: helping operators to move to other franchise routes including feeder routes to the BRT; offering existing transport operators the opportunity to be involved in service contracts for the BRT service; and assisting industry workers to find employment within the new bus system.

The LTFRB 7 is required to submit the statistical or analysis reporter together with the survey form to the national office on March 31.

The introduction of high quality buses operating on a dedicated bus lane will mean that some jeepney routes would be taken out by 2018.

There are 2,614 jeepney drivers involving 1,307 jeepney units to be affected by the BRT implementation, as well as 912 operators, 1,191 franchises and 22 routes.

“We want to address all the concerns of the PUJ industry, drivers operators and their family members. We want to know these people individually not as sectors or groups but on individual basis,” Yap said. (PNA) FPV/EB