97 more modernized PUJ to ply 6 city routes

BACOLOD City – The United Negros Transport Cooperative (UNETCO) launched 30 of the 97 Class 2 Modernized Public Utility Vehicle (MPUV) units at the Central Hall of Ayala Malls Capitol Central last Tuesday.

A motorcade caravan event and an official ribbon-cutting ceremony were conducted by UNETCO Chairperson Romelie Soliguen, Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) Region 6 Director Richard Osmeña, and Cooperative Development Authority (CDA) Region 6 Director Nora Patron.

“Bacolod City Mayor Alfredo ‘Albee’ Benitez expresses his full support and heartfelt gratitude for this pursuit of modernization. It is great to see more modernized jeepneys on the road. So it’s time for Bacolod, a highly urbanized city, to be a model for clean and efficient transportation,” according to Councilor Psyche Marie Sy who delivered the inspirational message on behalf of the city mayor.

Here are the 6 Routes that were awarded by the Local Public Transport Route Plan (LPTRP) to UNETCO:

-Shopping – Libertad – USLS route, awarded with 16 units;

-18 units each for Shopping – Libertad – San Agustin route and Handumanan – Mansilingan – Libertad route; and

-15 units each for Tangub – South Capitol Road Route, Taculing – Central Market Route, and Banago – Libertad Route.

The transport group is currently installing a fleet management system for the said units in order to monitor the routes and operations of the MPUVs in the event that there are only 30 units available.

For now, 5 units have been distributed among the 6 awarded routes, and a possible dry-run operation will be conducted this week.

QSJ Visayas Manager Elmer Apondar, FAW Philippines General Manager Huang Xi, and Land Bank of the Philippines Assistant Vice President Ma Luisita Chiu led the turnover ceremony of the 97 MUJV units to the UNETCO Board of Directors and Chairperson.

“Finally, a dream come true for UNETCO… the launching of the 97 MUJV’s delivers a strong signal of courage and decisiveness of those who opted to take the challenge of public transport,” Osmeña said.

“Slowly but surely we are showing the public that our partnership among the local government, the transport operators, and our [LTFRB] office is strong and working tirelessly to make transport transferred into modernization reality,” he added.

UNETCO is composed of three Transport Federation in Bacolod City – United Negros Drivers and Operators Center (UNDOC), Federation of Bacolod Drivers Association (FEBACDA), Sentrong Samahan ng Tsuper at Operators Negros Occidental (SSTON).

The group will soon operate a total of 293 MUJV units in the city.

Currently, there are 203 modernized jeepneys plying the streets of Bacolod and 155 more units will be launched by February, LTFRB reported. (BCD PIO)