The initiative started last April 13, 2022 and it has already served a total of 1,668,254 commuters as of May 26, 2022.
SAN Fernando City, La Union – The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board’s (LTFRB) ‘Libreng Sakay’ initiative under the Service Contracting Program is continuously providing free transport services to commuters in Region 1.
The initiative started last April 13, 2022 and it has already served a total of 1,668,254 commuters as of May 26, 2022.
There are a total of 431 public utility jeepneys roaming in various routes across the region providing free ride to the public.
Atty. Anabel Marzan-Nullar, Chief Transportation Development Officer stated that the program does not only benefit the commuting public but also the drivers of the public utility jeepneys’ (PUJ) who are affected thriving amid the pandemic and the increasing fuel prices.
“Babayaran namin ang kanilang operation cost at in return ay magbibigay sila ng libreng-serbisyo sa mga mananakay natin at hindi sila maniningil ng pamasahe,” Nullar said.
LTFRB has already paid out a total of Php72-M among the participating PUJ operators.
Nullar said that to monitor the PUJ trips, they are using a real-time monitoring system to oversee the routes and trips of public utility jeepneys enrolled under the Service Contracting Program or the PUJs compensated by the government for their free transport services.
Operators under gross contract are given the opportunity to earn on the basis of number of trips they traveled for each week regardless of the number of passengers they get while those under net contract will earn from the fare of passengers plus the amount to be given by LTFRB in exchange for their free services to healthcare workers.
Under gross service contract all operators shall provide free transport services to passengers.
On the other hand, under the net service contract, all passengers will be charged with the regular fare and only healthcare workers will be non-paying.
“Bago sila mamasada ay nagbibigay na rin tayo ng Php5,000 per unit sa ating mga operators pang-krudo bago pa man ang weekly payout,” Nullar emphasized.
Two social support mechanisms such as the “Pantawid Pasada Program” and the Service Contracting Program are being implemented to ensure unimpeded transport services for the public and at the same time alleviate the burden brought about by the current fuel and health crisis.
