CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – At least 2,867 public utility vehicle drivers have availed of the Department of Transportation’s (DOTr) service contracting program--the agency’s cash subsidy initiative, the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board-10 (LTFRB-10) said Friday.
Launched last year, the program aims to help drivers affected by the coronavirus pandemic cope with income loss, LTFRB-10 Director Aminoden Guro said.
Region 10 was chosen as a pilot area for the initiative, along with Metro Manila and the cities of Cebu and Davao, Guro added.
Guro said the national government has allocated PHP1.5 billion to the program, as mandated by Republic Act 11494 or the Bayanihan to Recover as One.
The subsidy scheme will run until June 30 this year and could be extended depending on the availability of funds.
“As long as there is budget, government assistance programs during the pandemic have a chance of getting extended,” Guro said, adding that he believes the subsidy should be continued until the country recovers from the pandemic.
Under the service contracting program, drivers who have undergone training can avail of the assistance, first with a PHP4,000 cash subsidy that would be used to purchase a global positioning system-capable smartphone.
An application, go.sakay.ph, would be installed on the phone to track the driver’s daily route. A driver would earn PHP11 per kilometer within his route during the trip.
The smartphone would record the driver’s earnings, which he can withdraw using the Gcash app.
Guro said the scheme provides a system of "merits and demerits" depending on the driver's performance on the road.
Among the demerits include unauthorized modification of service plan, the unfavorable attitude of driver and conductor, poor maintenance of vehicles, compromised commuter safety, and reckless driving.
A driver could be terminated from the program if he is involved in unauthorized out-of-line operations, unauthorized operation of a vehicle, and accident causing significant property and physical damage and loss of life, Guro said.
Among the PUV groups on the DOTr’s list was the PN Roa-Canitoan Transport Cooperative (Ponstransco), an association of drivers and operators serving 10 routes in the city.
Luzminda Lalaine Escobidal, the Pontransco chairperson, said all their members have suffered from lack of income due to the pandemic since--aside from fewer passengers--the DOTr has also imposed a 50 percent seating capacity on all public transport--especially jeepneys, vans, and buses.
“If our drivers’ income is not enough, he cannot pay the operators the agreed-upon daily rental. We are glad the government has come up with this service contracting program to help our drivers cope with the hardships brought by the pandemic,” Escobidal said.
Before the pandemic, operators usually received PHP600 to PHP700 in daily rental from drivers. Currently, Escobidal said that amount had been cut in half.
Escobidal said they hope the subsidy program would continue so that the drivers can recoup their losses. (PNA)
