OLD AND NEW. Passenger jeepneys, both the old models and the modern version, ply Pedro Gil Street in Malate, Manila on July 20, 2023. The government is set to release a PHP2.95 billion in fuel subsidy for public utility vehicle operators and drivers to cushion the impact of the increase in fuel prices. (PNA photo by Yancy Lim)
MANILA – The government is set to release a PHP2.95 billion in fuel subsidy for public utility vehicle (PUV) operators and drivers to cushion the impact of the increase in fuel prices.
In a news release Sunday, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) said about 1,640,000 million PUV drivers, including tricycle drivers and delivery riders, will receive fuel assistance.
The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB), an attached agency of the DOTr, will hasten the distribution of cash assistance.
It will distribute PHP10,000 to modern public utility jeepney and modern UV Express drivers, while drivers of other modes of transport will receive PHP6,500.
Tricycle and delivery riders will receive PHP1,000 and PHP1,200 assistance, respectively.
“We will make sure that the assistance to our PUV drivers will be distributed immediately so they can use it, pay for their fuel and improve their daily income,” Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista said.
Data from the LTFRB show that 280,000 PUV drivers will receive the one-time cash grant from the agency, while 930,000 tricycle drivers and 150,000 delivery service riders will receive assistance from the Department of the Interior and Local Government and the Department of Information and Communications Technology. (PNA)
