Enormous demand looms for emission repair shops

While the transport sector is all set and ready for emission testing as a pre-registration requirement starting on January 2, an enormous demand is now emerging for repair shops that can make vehicles smoke free.

This developed as at least 10 to 15 percent of private vehicles that complied with that requirement failed to pass the emission test, according to several owners of private emission testing centers (PETCs).

"This rate is expected to balloon to 30 percent on January 2 when PUVs (public utility vehicles) are finally included in the emission tests," said Jojo Buerano, a PETC owner in Las Piñas City.

A very big volume of vehicles nationwide will need the services of government-accredited emission repair shops to enable them to pass the emission test.

PETC owners, according to the Department of Transportation and Communications, are not allowed to put up emission repair shops because of conflict of interests.

This development has virtually opened up a new business opportunity for other entrepreneurs and companies with technical capabilities and facilities for reducing vehicular emission to safe levels.

Unlike the PETCs, emission repair shops are not bound by a lot of government requirements, regulations, monitoring and interventions.

Moreover, the service fees of emission repair shops are not fixed since these vary according to the individual needs of customers, making such business more lucrative than PETCs due to multiple profit cen-ters.

Such type of shops can also have other related businesses, except a PETC, without getting held liable for conflict of interests.

Practically assured of a huge market and decent margins, emission repair shops are seen to play a significant role in the natio-nal effort to clear the air of killer smoke, which has been making drivers, children, and many other people die from various respiratory diseases.

Thus, some of those who have been planning to go into the PETC businss are now thinking of putting up emission repair shops instead.

Meanwhile, vehicle owners are advised to have their emission test early to avoid the rush come January.