Calling on local transport groups to embrace change, the Land Transportation and Franchising Regulatory Board (LTFRB) last week justified its grant of provisional authority to bus operator Cat Island Express amid protests from affected tricycle drivers.
In a consultation meeting at the Sangguniang Panlalawigan session hall last Friday afternoon (Nov. 17, 2023), LTFRB Regional Director Joel Defeo said the temporary permit was given due to the need to provide better services to commuters, aside from tricycle and public utility vans.
“Let us embrace change,” the director told representatives of tricycle operators and drivers along inter-town routes connecting Virac to Bato, San Miguel and San Andres.
Defeo disclosed that they went to Catanduanes to address emailed complaints regarding the operation of tricycles on national highways.
While tricycle drivers and operators present during the meeting conceded that their vehicles are prohibited on the main roads, they were allowed to ply the inter-town routes between the capital town and the neighboring municipalities of San Andres and Bato through a “memorandum of agreement” between the the LGUs.
The LTFRB Bicol chief, however, underscored that under the Local Government Code, tricycles are allowed to operate only within the municipality where the franchise is approved.
“The permit given to you to operate between two towns is only due to tolerance, as tricycles are not allowed on national highways,” Defeo stressed, citing the hierarchy of mode of transportation depending on distance and density or passenger capacity in the deployment of public transport.
On national roads, priority is given to four-wheeled vehicles, with emphasis on higher capacity mode of transport services, he pointed out, and the tricycles are only allowed on national roads only when there is no alternative road to their approved routes.
He likewise said that the MOA between the towns is ultra vires as it does not have the approval of LFTRB and the Land Transportation Office (LTO) can apprehend such tricycles for being out-of-line.
After being told that the tricycles charge P40 per passenger for the Bato-Virac ride, Dir. Defeo asked them where their fare matrix came from and who approved it.
“We are correcting the situation, as commuters are also complaining about the high tricycle fares,” he said.
On the TODA’s disclosure that they imposed the P40 fare in consultation with barangay residents, the LTFRB chief stressed that TODAs have no power to fix tricycle fares.
“We gave due consideration to the Cat Island Express operator as the transport sector in Catanduanes has yet to introduce modern jeepneys,” Defeo said. “We have received good feedback regarding the buses’ convenience, safety and affordability.
He also called on Sangguniang Bayans’ transport committees in Catanduanes to regulate the award of tricycle franchises as LGUs on other Bicol provinces have imposed a moratorium on new tricycle franchises.
The official likewise reminded tricycle drivers of the consequences of crossing the highway to other towns as they could meet an accident and cannot claim insurance due to their violation of the conditions of the franchise given to them.
“This is the time to align everything,” he urged. “You will go back to your respective LGUs to address your concerns.”
He advised them to make Cat Island Express their partner by going to its pick-up points as feeders of passengers as the ideal implementation of the transportation industry and ensure safety of the riding public.
On the alleged overloading of the buses with standing passengers, Dir. Defeo confirmed that the company’s buses have a seating capacity of 23 but is allowed to have 10 standing passengers.
Nevertheless, he directed the company to observe the required capacity and to submit the list of identified pick-up points along their routes where the tricycles can bring their passengers bound for other towns.
Cat Island Express officials responded that they considered tricycles in their set-up, that is why the buses pick up passengers only at designated areas or waiting sheds to give to the tricycles its role as feeder transport.
They said the company fixed its minimum fare at P25 precisely to discourage short-distance commuters.
It was also announced during the meeting that the bus company’s provisional authority will expire this Nov. 27, 2023, without prejudice to renewal depending on the demand of the commuting public.
Dir. Defeo said that if the LTFRB opens new developmental routes in Catanduanes, it will invite TODAs to apply for the routes.
He bared that while van operators in the island have consolidated into five transport cooperatives, not one of them has modernized its vehicles.
The LTFRB has given transport groups until Dec. 31, 2023 to consolidate, after which a deadline will be announced for the cooperatives to acquire modern jeepneys with the financial assistance of the Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP) and the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP).