NO CHARGE. Some of the modern buses in Tacloban City taking part in the free ride program until May 30. The initiative has already benefitted over one million commuters in Eastern Visayas in the past four weeks, the Land Transport Franchising Regulatory Board (LTFRB) regional office said on Thursday (May 19, 2022). (Photo courtesy of LTFRB)
TACLOBAN CITY – The government’s free ride program has already benefitted over 1 million commuters in Eastern Visayas in the past four weeks, the Land Transport Franchising Regulatory Board (LTFRB) regional office here said on Thursday.
The LTFRB’s service contracting program provided free rides to 1,014,602 passengers in six provinces from April 18 to May 16, 2022, through the operations of 673 units of public utility buses, jeepneys, and vans.
“The program will end on May 30, but this may be extended next month if there are still funds available. This ensures the income of our drivers and operators and helps our countrymen save from their transportation expenses this pandemic,” said Veronica Reposar, LTFRB regional transportation development office chief, in an interview.
The government is spending about PHP200 million on the third rollout of free rides in public transport in Eastern Visayas.
Under the LTFRB’s service contracting program, public utility vehicle operators and drivers participating in the government’s free ridership program will receive a one-time payout and weekly payments based on the number of kilometers traveled per week, whether they have passengers or not.
Each of 673 public utility vehicles is monitored by a private firm through the global positioning system (GPS).
The service contracting program phase III was launched under the General Appropriations Act 2022, which has a total fund of PHP7 billion allotted for around 13,000 to 15,000 vehicles with about 1,000 routes nationwide. (PNA)
