Unconsolidated public utility vehicles (PUVs) can still ply their respective routes until April 30 as long as they are registered with the Land Transportation Office (LTO), the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) announced Thursday.
"The authority to operate the units of all unconsolidated individual operators is extended until 30 April 2024, provided the unit is currently registered with the [LTO] and has a valid personal passenger accident insurance coverage," LTFRB Chair Teofilo Guadiz III said in a memorandum.
Last month, President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. extended the consolidation deadline for the PUV franchise until April 30, 2024, following the recommendation of Transport Secretary Jaime Bautista for a 3-month extension.
Among the guidelines set for filing applications for consolidation are that in routes covered by the Local Public Transport Route Plan (LPTRP), consolidation is allowed on existing rationalized routes with no consolidated entity as of December 31, 2023.
For routes not yet covered by LPTRP or route rationalization, LTFRB said the consolidation will be allowed if the number of unconsolidated units for a particular route is at least 40 percent of the total number of authorized units (NAU). The consolidated entities on the route must comply with standard fleet management to ensure the organized dispatch of units and avoid competition among them
However, if the number of unconsolidated units is below 40 percent of the total NAU, consolidation shall not be allowed.
