Groups protest Iloilo transport overloading, seek review

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By Juliane Judilla

Transport and sectoral groups on Feb. 16 staged a picket protest at the Tagbak Terminal in Jaro, urging the Iloilo City government to review transport policies amid continuing reports of passenger overloading in modernized public utility vehicles.

The action was led by the Panay Consumers Alliance, whose members include students, jeepney drivers, and operators.

The group said commuters continue to bear the brunt of what it described as flawed national and local transport programs.

Protesters called on city officials to facilitate the immediate registration and return of jeepneys to active routes, arguing that the current number of operating units is insufficient to meet commuter demand.

They also challenged local officials to commute using public transportation to better understand the daily conditions faced by passengers.

‘POLICY FAILURE’

Ahead of the protest, the alliance released a position paper attributing persistent overloading to structural policy issues rather than individual violations.

“Overloading is not the fault of commuters, conductors, passenger assistance officers, or drivers,” the group said.

“It is the direct result of poor and unscientific government transport planning and the absence of a comprehensive public transport system,” they added.

The alliance said the shortage of public utility jeepneys, coupled with quota pressures under the cooperative system, has created conditions where overloading becomes commonplace.

For many workers and students, it added, public transport remains the only affordable and accessible option.

SUPPLY AND DEMAND GAP

Citing local transport data, the group said public transport vehicles account for 20% of all vehicles on Iloilo City roads but serve 74% of commuters.

Of those commuters, the group said 41% travel for work, 20% for school, and 39% for errands and other activities.

About half travel from the province, while the rest commute within the city, the group said.

The alliance said the figures point to a mismatch between the number of vehicles allocated to public transport and the volume of passengers relying on it.

Before the implementation of the Local Public Transport Route Plan and the national transport modernization program, the group said about 2,587 jeepneys operated in the city.

With an average capacity of 20 passengers per trip and up to 12 trips daily, the group said the fleet could transport an estimated 517,400–620,880 passengers per day.

After the rollout of the route plan, the group said only 1,262 franchised units and 556 QR-coded units remained in operation.

The alliance said that effectively reduced the fleet by at least 769 jeepneys and cut daily capacity by an estimated 153,800–184,560 passenger trips.

Although 537 modern buses were introduced, the group said only about 70%–80% operate on any given day.

Each bus carries around 34 passengers per trip but averages only eight to 10 trips daily, the group said.

Based on those figures, the group said the operating bus fleet can transport roughly 102,272–146,200 passengers per day.

“This shortfall clearly explains why overloading persists,” the group said.

POLICY RESTRICTIONS

The alliance also cited transport regulations it said compounded the shortage, including the 2013 perimeter boundary ordinance restricting provincial jeepneys and new loading and unloading limits imposed on first-town units.

Under current rules cited by the group, provincial jeepneys may load passengers only before perimeter boundary terminals, unload at designated areas, and pick up outbound passengers at specific points within the city.

The alliance criticized the modernization program’s cooperativization scheme, saying some transport cooperatives are burdened by debt and struggle to maintain operations.

Drivers and passenger assistance officers, it said, face pressure to meet daily remittance targets.

The group also questioned the cost and sourcing of modern units, claiming some buses are surplus vehicles imported from abroad and priced at PHP 2 million–PHP 3 million each.

As a result, the group said commuters face longer waiting times, higher fare burdens, and limited seating availability.

REFORMS

While the city has proposed forming a task force to monitor overloading, the alliance described enforcement-focused measures as inadequate.

“Without addressing the shortage of public utility vehicles and the absence of a comprehensive public transport system, enforcement alone cannot resolve the root cause,” the group said.

The alliance urged authorities to increase the number of operating units, restore viable routes, and provide support to small operators and drivers affected by modernization.

The Local Public Transport Route Plan and the modernization program are intended to reorganize routes and shift fleets toward newer units, but the alliance said the transition has reduced supply on some routes and contributed to overcrowding during peak hours.