MANILA – The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) said Thursday they have reviewed the request of Francisco Motors for the implementation of its TsuperHero pilot program and found several technical factors that must be addressed before special permits are granted.
The LTFRB said the “proposed route Merry Homes, Caloocan to Sta. Monica Shop and Ride, Novaliches, Quezon City is not an existing route of (the) CAZANOVA Transport Service Cooperative.”
Francisco Motors has said it would work with the CAZANOVA Transport Service Cooperative for the pilot of the TsuperHero program.
According to the LTFRB, the existing routes are Cielito Homes-Nova via Camarin Road Quirino with 39 authorized units and Almar Subdivision-Gotesco Commonwealth via Regalado with 12 authorized units.
“As seen on the route map, the endpoint of the proposed route Sta. Monica Shop and Ride, Novaliches, Quezon City amounted to a modification of its original route,” the LTFRB said in a news release.
“Memorandum Circular No. 2023-037 provides for the Guidelines for the Amendment of Fixed Routes of PUVs in MUCEP Area. Inclusion of the proposed route to any initiatives, like the ‘TsuperHero Program’ is not under any of the conditions specified in the Memorandum Circular.”
The agency noted that “under the existing policy, special permits are issued by the Board once the proposed routes are opened (through) a Memorandum Circular, as stated in LTFRB’s Citizens Charter.”
On Francisco Motor’s proposal to offer for free their modernized jeepneys to those joining the TsuperHero program, the LTFRB found that Francisco Motors “do(es) not have a Certificate of Compliance from the Department of Transportation (DOTr)."
Regarding the proposal on unlimited rides, the LTFRB pointed out that “Francisco Motors does not have the authority to determine or prescribe the fares of the units to be used in the pilot implementation.”
On the request for equity subsidy before the DOTr, the LTFRB said Francisco Motors “is not any of those financial institutions or partnership concessions specified in the Department Order, which are authorized to assist Transport Service Entities (TSE) in the acquisition of their modern units.”
The LTFRB cited Section 6 Fiscal and Non-Fiscal Support of Department Order 2023-022, which states that "the Department of Transportation shall partner with financial institutions, either government financing institutions (GFIs) or private financial institutions (PFIs), public-private partnership concessions, Official Development Assistance (ODA) partners, international financial institutions, or a combination thereof for programs to assist the transport service entities in the acquisition of modern PUV units." (PR)
