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The Department of Transportation (DOTr) may soon implement a contracting scheme for public utility vehicles (USP) to increase the current supply of modes of transport and help drivers and operators cope with the losses suffered during the pandemic. .
This comes after the Interagency Working Group for Emerging Infectious Diseases approved the scheme proposed by the Economic Development Group.
Under the service contracting scheme, the transportation department will subsidize public transportation operations and incentivize USP operators to resume operations. This will help cater to travelers and restore livelihoods for displaced transport workers.
The budget for said scheme will be funded by the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act or the Bayanihan 2. Transportation Undersecretary of Transportation for Transportation and Road Infrastructure Steve Pastor said that the inclusion of service contracting in the measure was developed in response to the financial constraints experienced by many PUV operators and drivers due to the strict sanitary and sanitary protocols that must be observed in public transport.
“Due to the limitations placed on our public transportation, operators and drivers may not be able to maintain their operations. This can lead to inconsistent travel trips that cause passengers to compete for trips, while drivers and operators ignore passenger capacity in exchange for more revenue, ”he said.
The services contracting scheme will be headed by the Terrestrial Transportation Franchise and Regulatory Board (LTFRB), an agency attached to the DOTr.
“Agencies interested in the transportation sector insist that safety should not be given up as we push for economic recovery and mobility of services. Therefore, we are promoting the use of contracting services, since they would allow the efficiency of trips and the reduction of transmission, ”said Pastor.
LTFRB President Martin Delgra III said his group is now working on the implementation of the contracting scheme, in which the government will pay operators and drivers of public transport units based on the kilometers traveled by vehicles and indicators. specific performance standards.
“The new provision of service contracts between public transport will no longer depend solely on the number of passengers transported. We make sure that our drivers will receive full compensation for their services, despite the load limitations imposed, ”he said.
Those who will be included in the scheme must follow the existing healthy safety protocols in public transport.
Delgra added that a set of ratings based on road safety has also been prescribed. Contractors and drivers must possess a professional driver’s license and must drive a service unit confirmed by an operator. USPs must also pass the Road Transportation Office fitness standards and must not have been involved in any traffic accident incidents in the last two years.
“To ensure fairness as well, we will use a third-party monitoring entity to assess the total kilometers of vehicles operated, the reliability of their services, the quality of the driver and the vehicle, and customer satisfaction,” Delgra said.
Performance indicators are being finalized that will serve as an additional basis for payment and the preferred mode of payment on these vehicles, he added.
